TCC Book I: The Beginning Of It All
by The Universal Storyteller
Summary: Time: Silver Millennium, primarily. Where: Anywhere in known Universe. Missions: Defend Moon Kingdom, and other friendly societies, et cetera. 1st Story of at least 7! Please read, review, & enjoy. Complete! All 14 Chapters Now Edited & Revised!
1. Chapter One

Hello, any people who may read this, I'm The Universal Storyteller. This particular story will be the first of many primarily Silver Millennium-related "Sailor Moon" stories from me, I hope, here on fanfiction dot net. I'll accept constructive criticisms, of course. But I won't accept any flames, especially with strong language with them. So if you happen to use strong language with me, your reviews will be ignored. Always, and completely, as a matter of fact. With this story of mine here, at least, this will be your only warning, if at all possible. And please don't bother ever asking me for any transgender, male-male, female-female, or hermaphroditic kinds of romantic, or so-called romantic, relationships relating to the applicable characters for this or any other stories of mine here on fanfiction dot net. For such requests from my readers here will be always and completely ignored as well. For I don't ever personally believe in them for protagonists in my stories, at all.

People, this is my first primarily Silver Millennium Era-set Sailor Moon fan fiction series. This story and others in the series will have its chapter divisions marked by location and date inserts like the one that you will find below this introduction section, unless I decide otherwise. I have been working on stories in its series for at least a few years now. There will be plenty of places that the Scouts and their relatives will go in this series. Some of them, you might not even expect until you hear of them, in fact. I hope that you'll enjoy all the stories that are in this story's story series, of course. For the most part, if not entirely, the actual stories, in single-file form, are about the length of a typical novel, at least when I've been using half-inch margins all the way around, I think.

This first story will at least set the scene, if not also largely introduce the main villains that the Scouts will have to face in battle, in fact. And it will most likely provide at least one possible back story for at least a few of the characters, as well. Like possibly even Queen Serenity, for example. But I better not say too much more about the story here, I think, or I might ruin it here for you. Please feel free to read, review, and enjoy this story here, if at all possible, of course.

All standard disclaimers that I have already used so far with any of the various stories that I now have on fanfiction dot net will apply. For your information, all of the characters that you may not actually recognize well enough in this story are original characters of mine, unless otherwise stated, in fact. So please don't steal my original characters from this story or any others, for that matter.

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The Beginning of It All_

A _The Chrysanthemum Chronicles_ Series Story

A Garden In The Crystal Palace

Moon City, Moon Kingdom, Moon

June 30, 977

It was a day like none before for a certain Princess on the Moon. For this would be the day when she'd first knowingly meet other Princesses from elsewhere in the Milky Way Galaxy's Sol system in her life. It was her first birthday. And she'd been born elsewhere in the Crystal Palace to her parents on the night of June 30, 976. She'd been born about two hours before local midnight in the Moon City local area on the Moon, just as the Sun had set, the Earth had risen, and a comet called "Serena" had crossed the lunar sky above the Crystal Palace in Moon City. Moon City was, in fact, the capital city of the Moon Kingdom.

Since her own birth, she'd already knowingly met a good number of people in her life. Besides her parents, of course, for all the obvious reasons. She'd been born to the Moon Kingdom's Queen Serenity and Prince Daniel, while her father Prince Daniel had otherwise been occupied with a certain somewhat unpleasant situation elsewhere on the Moon. She was born during his absence. For he'd been called away from Moon City when he'd learned that his mother Princess Ruth had suffered a heart attack in one of the various Moon Kingdom's palaces on the Moon. During his absence, Serena had been born to her parents. And not long after she had, Princess Ruth had herself fallen asleep in the aforementioned palace that she'd suffered her heart attack in. Princess Ruth had done that at least partly due to the complications that had resulted from that very heart attack, if not completely due to them, not long after her granddaughter Serena's birth.

Serena Moon had no siblings, at least as of the current time. For she was currently the only child of her parents, if she'd not always be, in her life. Her full name was Serena Ruth Teresa Hope Rose Moon. For she'd been given four middle names during her christening ceremony in a certain Moon City-area cathedral. She was the Moon Kingdom's Moon Princess, due to her current rank in the Moon Kingdom as her mother's chosen successor.

It was now early in the afternoon of June 30, 977. And she was about to receive an unexpected visit from someone she'd not seen for at least five or six Terran months, if not longer. This visitor of hers would be bringing four other people with him. And she'd learn that she'd be growing up with all of them on the Moon in the Moon Kingdom for as long as it was possible for them to grow up with each other there.

This unexpected visitor of hers was a teenaged Prince from the Earth's nation of Japan, a Prince who was named Darien. And he'd bring four Princesses from elsewhere in the Moon Kingdom to meet knowingly with her for the first time in each of their lives. These four Princesses that he'd bring with him then to meet Serena would be from the planets of Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Jupiter.

In the meantime, she was playing in a garden on the grounds of the Crystal Palace, which was one of the main Moon Kingdom palaces in the Moon City local area on the Moon. Her mother Queen Serenity was otherwise occupied with certain unavoidable Moon Kingdom-related business at the current time. But she was still being watched in the garden by at least three or four of her mother's maidservants, for the obvious reasons. All those maidservants were all within about twenty or so feet of her, at all times, of course, as she played in that garden somewhere on the Crystal Palace's grounds.

As Princess Serena was playing in a sandbox in that garden, she was soon joined in the garden by the aforementioned Terran Prince and his four companions, when they came up behind her. As they neared her, this Prince from Earth began singing softly. But not so softly that she couldn't hear him do so.

As she began to hear him singing in the garden, she thought, "It can't be him. I wasn't expecting him to show up here on the Moon for quite some time yet. Though I really hoped that he'd be here in time for my birthday." She then looked over her left shoulder. And she tried to find him with her eyes. It took her a few seconds, at least, to do so. And then she spotted him coming out from behind a large rock elsewhere in the garden.

When she saw him, she stood up, and began jumping up and down a bit. She did this for a few seconds, at least. And then she left the sandbox to run to him. She soon yelled, "Prince Darien, you're back now! Whee!"

"Yes, I'm back, Princess Serena. And I've brought some people with me this time. You might have seen them before, Princess Serena. But then again, you might not have."

"People for me, the Moon Princess?"

"Yes and no, Serena."

"I don't understand, Prince Darien."

"They're not from the Moon. But you'll evidently be seeing much of them for a good long time, God willing, of course, Serena."

"Huh?"

"Their parents have sent them here to the Moon for at least the next few Terran years. For their parents think that they should spend most, if not all, of their childhoods with other people who aren't from their respective planets or moons in the Moon Kingdom."

"Oh? Does that mean that I have to leave the Moon too, then, Darien?"

"No, Serena, it doesn't mean that. For your mother Queen Serenity needs you here with her. These other children with me will apparently be growing up with you. And they'll be your royal Court, I believe, Princess Serena."

"Does Dad know this?"

"Yes, Princess Serena, Prince Daniel's well aware of this being the case. For not more than a day or two ago, from what I've learned from Queen Serenity in the meantime, your mother told him about this being the case."

"Pick me up, please, Darien," Serena then said. So Darien did so. "How are you of late, Darien?"

"Just fine, Princess Serena. These girls here are the Princesses of Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Jupiter."

"Oh, is that so here?"

"Yes, Serena. Would you like me to introduce them to you now?"

"Sure. But let's go somewhere where it's not so hot for a while, first."

"Okay, I suppose we can do that. Just let me tell your watchers where we'll be for a while, first, though, for all the obvious reasons."

"Agreed." Darien then beckoned to Serena's current watchers. And he indicated that they should come to where he was talking to Serena for a moment. Her watchers then did so. And he promptly told them that he'd be borrowing Serena for at least a little while, for the obvious reasons.

That said, he then placed Serena on his shoulders. While the other four Princesses with him waited for him to lead them elsewhere on the Crystal Palace's grounds. He then had his other four companions follow him to a royal nursery elsewhere in the Crystal Palace.

Five minutes later, then, Darien led his current companions besides Princess Serena into that nursery. After which he had them all sit on a large carpet there wherever they chose to sit on it, as long as they stayed close enough to him while they did so. That done, he then set Princess Serena down in the middle of the carpet. And he himself sat down next to Serena on that carpet.

Darien's current five companions then all eventually found comfortable enough positions for themselves on it, for the obvious reasons. And they all did this as they all obeyed Prince Darien's orders to stay close enough to him on the carpet in question, of course. Then Princess Serena asked him who their four other companions were on the carpet.

He said, "I'll introduce them to you one at a time. Come here, Princess Amy."

A dark-haired toddler about a Terran year old then arose from her position on the carpet. And she toddled to him as he sat on the carpet in the midst of all five girls now with him there. Princess Amy toddled into his arms, then Darien said, "Princess Serena, this is Princess Amy. She's from Mercury. She was born in Mercury City on Mercury about a Terran year or so ago, at most. She'll be spending quite a bit of time with you in the future, I believe, in your respective lives."

"I'm pleased to meet you, Princess Amy. I hope someday that I can eventually see your world in person, in fact, Princess Amy."

"I don't know, Princess Serena, but maybe we can find some way to visit it someday in the future. That is, if the Sun isn't making my world too hot or too cold at any such time in the future. You see, my world's the closest known world to Sol, Princess Serena. It's often a quite hardy person that can survive on my world easily enough when it gets either too hot or too cold on my world for any reason whatsoever. Most of Mercury's population often lives below ground, so as not to be subjected to great extremes of heat or cold at various times of the Mercurian year of my world. You see, my world orbits Sol in 88 Terran days, my parents have told me. Which then means that my world orbits Sol about four times in a Terran calendar year. I don't know, though, how often your Moon orbits Terra in such a year well enough yet."

"No big deal, is it, Princess Amy?"

"I don't know yet, Princess Serena. Only time will ever tell if it'll ever be a big deal, though, Princess Serena."

"I hope we're friends for a very long time, Princess Amy."

"So do I, Princess Serena."

Then Princess Amy, once she got permission to do so from Darien, returned to where she'd been sitting on the carpet, for the obvious reasons. That done, Darien in turn introduced the other three Princesses with him, Serena, and Amy to Serena, for the obvious reasons. After Amy was sitting again, he then introduced Princess Raye from Mars to Princess Serena from the Moon.

That done, he then let Princess Serena and Princess Raye talk to each other for a while, of course. After they'd done so for a while, and after Raye got permission to return to her own place on the carpet in question, Princess Lita of Jupiter was next to be introduced to Serena by Darien, of course.

Princesses Lita and Serena then talked quite excitedly with each other as they got acquainted with each other, at least on a basic enough level, for at least a little while. This, of course, was for all the obvious reasons. That stayed the case for at least ten to fifteen minutes, until they'd felt they'd talked with each other long enough. Lita then got permission from Darien to return to her own place on the carpet currently in question in the nursery they were all now in.

Eventually, of course, Princess Serena of the Moon and Princess Mina of Venus did the same things too, for the obvious reasons, before they too got too bored talking to each other for at least a little while, of course. And they then returned to their respective places on the carpet of the royal nursery currently in question somewhere in the Crystal Palace. Then all five of the Princesses soon fell quite soundly asleep on that very carpet in the royal nursery in question somewhere in the Crystal Palace.

After they did so, Darien got up from the carpet and he walked over to a nearby shelf with scrolls on it. Then he took a scroll off that shelf. He began reading it, while he watched the five girls sleeping in the royal nursery, for a while. This he did for at least an hour until they began to stir on the carpet in question. When they did so, Darien then returned the scroll he'd been reading to the shelf from which he'd taken it earlier.

The first of the Princesses to stir on the carpet was Serena, followed shortly thereafter by Raye, Lita, Amy, and Mina. For just after Serena had woken up, she'd begun bawling because she'd not yet seen where Darien was currently in the room. That bawling of Serena's had woken up her fellow Princesses just after she herself had done so. She had this often-unpleasant habit of bawling unexpectedly when things weren't exactly as she thought they should be in her life. And this would likely continue to be the case for many more years to come in the future. And it'd not always help her make friends, for the obvious reasons. But it was still the way she was, at certain times of her life. Especially in times of sufficient stress, as it'd already been since her own birth, and as it'd likely be for the rest of her own life, if things went sufficiently as expected for her in the rest of it.

Raye soon said, "Serena, shut off the waterworks, please."

"I want my Prince Darien. I want my honey!"

By this time, Lita had woken up, due to Serena's bawling. "He's your honey, Serena?" She said this as Darien finally picked Serena up again.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, Lita, he is. He didn't tell you how I acted around him at my christening ceremony?"

Serena asked this because she'd really acted up during her christening ceremony about 51 weeks before. And she'd even climbed up on Prince Darien's lap during it, for reasons that likely weren't yet evident at that time, at the very least, if not also at the current time. She'd run her hands over his face while she'd been on his lap, as well. That she did for a while, before she'd acted up in other ways during her own christening ceremony. But that didn't mean that Prince Darien was angry at her, of course, due to the fact that he was now with her and four other Princesses in one of the royal nurseries somewhere in the Moon City-area Crystal Palace in the Moon Kingdom on the Moon.

"No, he didn't. But that doesn't make him your honey!"

"Want to bet, Jupe?"

"Ain't old enough, Moonie."

"I'm going to be seeing a lot of him in the future, and we're going to get married someday."

"No way!" This from Raye. "He's mine."

"What makes you think so? I've been seeing him often enough in my dreams at night for quite some time, Raye."

"Because he gives me lots of toys and things. And he likes talking to me quite frequently, whenever he can find the time to do so."

"That doesn't make him yours, Raye," said Mina, who'd just woken up seconds before. "And, Serena, from what I know of him, he doesn't like it all that much when girls bawl quite loudly. He told me that you've been known to bawl quite loudly in the past."

"Are you sure that Luna and Artemis didn't tell you that instead, Mina?" asked Serena.

"Yes, I am, Serena. Amy herself was even with me as he told me that. Right, Amy?"

"That's right, Mina." This from Amy, who'd woken up just before Mina had done so.

"I can't believe my honey would actually say such things about me to anyone else."

"I'm afraid he did so, Serena. And then Mina told Raye and Lita that you've been known to bawl quite loudly at the most inappropriate times in your life."

"Well, if so, Merc, I've often had a good reason, I think."

"Yeah, right! Sure, Moon Babe! We weren't all born yesterday. Who do you think you're trying to fool, Serena?"

"I'm telling you the truth, Mars girl!"

"We'll see, won't we? For it looks like we're going to be seeing a lot of each other in the future. But know this, Serena. I don't like it when I get woken up unnecessarily by bawling babies all that much. So, whenever we're around each other, at least for a while, please try to control your fits of loud bawling to at least some degree, if you possibly can. That way, we might all have better chances of developing better friendships with each other in the future that we're evidently now going to be spending here on the Moon with you."

"I can only promise that I'll try to keep my bawling from getting too loud whenever I can. I can't promise that I'll always succeed in doing so whenever I do bawl in the future, but I can promise I'll try to keep the loudness of my bawling down as much as possible whenever I can."

"Fair enough, Serena," Raye finally said, after apparently realizing that she'd likely not be able to get Serena to do better than that when it came to her fits of loud bawling. This was apparently for reasons not yet evident to her in her own mortal life that she'd now be spending much of on the Moon. Or that she'd likely not be able to do that for at least a little while, of course, if ever, as they spent enough time with each other in the future.

Then Serena said, "Darien, I wonder if Daddy and Mommy are going to throw me a birthday party today."

"Today's your birthday, Serena?" asked Raye.

"Yes, Raye, I'm one Terran year old today. I was born two hours before midnight a Terran year ago. And when I was, I saw the Sun, the Earth, and a comet at the same time. Those were the first three things I ever saw."

"Sure, Serena. It's not safe to look at the Sun, Serena." Amy, who already was quite smart, as would eventually become evident to all of her current companions, after enough time had passed, said these things here, as a matter of fact. Supposing, of course, that it was truly God's will that such a thing should someday ever become sufficiently evident to the rest of her current companions, for the obvious reasons.

"Well, Amy, the Sun was setting at that time, the Earth was rising, and the comet Serena passed just above the Earth as it rose in the lunar sky outside my mother's bedchamber in this Crystal Palace here in Moon City."

"Oh. I didn't know that. Who told you that you'd seen the Sun, the Earth and Comet Serena all at the same time when you were born?"

"Nobody had to tell me, Amy. I somehow knew then that I'd seen the Sun, the Earth, and Comet Serena at that time. Though I didn't yet know what they were called when I was born. And if I'm not mistaken, Comet Serena's going to return to the lunar sky within the next six or seven Terran months, at most."

"So you're saying that the orbital period of Comet Serena's usually around 1.5 or so Terran years?"

"Yes. I expect to see it at least six or seven times before I'm a teenager here on the Moon, if I can."

Then the five Princesses conversed at greater length with each other and with Prince Darien, for the obvious reasons, for at least a little while. But when Darien heard a certain sequence of bells being rung, he then said, "Girls, we need to go to this palace's main ballroom within the next hour, at most. I'll take you to Serena's chambers, so that some royal maidservants can get you dressed better for a certain occasion in that Crystal Palace ballroom. I myself have to get dressed for that occasion as well."

So each of the Princesses left the royal nursery with him. He brought them all to Serena's Crystal Palace chambers within the next five to ten minutes, most likely. When he got there with them all, he was soon met at the door by Elizabeth, Honey, and Denise, who then took charge of all five Princesses, for the obvious reasons. He then left, of course.

Fortunately for all the Princesses, all their dresses had been laid out on Serena's bed while Darien was with them all in the royal nursery they'd just left not long before. Each Princess would wear a different colored dress, so that they'd be easier to identify in the ballroom they'd soon be going to.

Serena would be wearing a white dress, and she'd also be having pink ribbons in her hair, so that her long blonde hair wouldn't always be in her eyes while she was with the other Princesses in the aforementioned ballroom of the Crystal Palace. And Elizabeth would put those ribbons in her hair, as well as put that white dress on her, for the obvious reasons.

While Elizabeth was taking care of Serena, Honey would take care of Amy and Raye. And Denise would do the same thing with Lita and Mina. First Honey would prepare Amy for the aforementioned occasion in the proper Crystal Palace ballroom, and then she'd do the same thing with Raye. And while Honey did those things with Amy and Raye, Denise would first get Lita, then Mina, ready for the necessary occasion in the Crystal Palace's main ballroom.

Amy would be in aquamarine blue, Raye in crimson, Lita in hunter green, and Mina in yellow and orange, when they went to the occasion in question with Serena in white and Darien in a black tuxedo. And after much struggling with their restless charges, Elizabeth, Honey, and Denise were eventually able to get them all quite ready for the occasion that'd soon be taking place in the main ballroom of Moon City's very own Crystal Palace.

When they were finally able to do so, they then summoned Darien to Serena's chambers again. They did that so he could take all five girls all to that ballroom. And as they waited for him to come back to Serena's room, they made at least doubly sure that all five Princesses were quite appropriately dressed, for all the obvious reasons.

Several minutes later, then, he knocked on the door of Serena's chambers. And Elizabeth let him into them, once Honey and Denise said that she could do so. With that done, Elizabeth then brought him to where the Princesses had all been sitting in Serena's chambers while they'd waited for him to arrive there to pick them all up.

That done, she then asked him, "Are you glad to know that all five of these Moon Kingdom Princesses are now together here on the Moon, Darien?"

Darien thought for a few seconds, then said, "Sure, Elizabeth. I'm glad to finally see them all together here on the Moon. I don't yet know why well enough, if I'll ever know why in the future. But I'm still glad to see them all here for some yet-unknown reason to me."

Then, after all five Princesses said they were ready to go to the Crystal Palace's main ballroom, Darien then led them out of Serena's chambers, for the obvious reasons. Of course, he couldn't carry all of them at once. He could only pick up one, of course. And this time, the Princess in question that he picked up was Princess Raye. For she got to him first before Serena could do so. He then carried her in her arms out of Serena's chambers. And he had the other four Princesses follow him to the aforementioned Crystal Palace ballroom. Of course, Serena didn't like having to toddle and crawl her way to the ballroom in question. But because she'd not been able to reach Darien before Raye did, she had to stay near the other three Princesses who Darien wasn't currently carrying to that ballroom, for the obvious reasons.

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I suppose that I'd better stop here now. For this will be where the next part of the story will take up from, in fact, readers. I hope that you've so far enjoyed the story, if you've gotten this far, and that you'll continue to read it, once I put more of it up here on fanfiction dot net. I don't know how long it will take me to get each story in this series up fully on fanfiction dot net. But it might take a while for each story in this series, just the same, readers. Until later, then, this is "The Universal Storyteller" signing off here. Happy reading, and God bless, and all that, of course, readers! Over and out! 


	2. Chapter Two

Hello, any people who may read this, I'm The Universal Storyteller. This particular story will be the first of many primarily Silver Millennium-related "Sailor Moon" stories from me, I hope, here on fanfiction dot net. I'll accept constructive criticisms, of course. But I won't accept any flames, especially with strong language with them. So if you happen to use strong language with me, your reviews will be ignored. Always, and completely, as a matter of fact. With this story of mine here, at least, this will be your only warning, if at all possible. And please don't bother ever asking me for any transgender, male-male, female-female, or hermaphroditic kinds of romantic, or so-called romantic, relationships relating to the applicable characters for this or any other stories of mine here on fanfiction dot net. For such requests from my readers here will be always and completely ignored as well. For I don't ever personally believe in them for protagonists in my stories, at all.

People, this is my first primarily Silver Millennium Era-set Sailor Moon fan fiction series. I have been working on stories in its series for at least a few years now. There will be plenty of places that the Scouts and their relatives will go in this series. Some of them, you might not even expect until you hear of them, in fact. I hope that you'll enjoy all the stories that are in this story's story series, of course. For the most part, if not entirely, the actual stories, in single-file form, are about the length of a typical novel, at least when I've been using half-inch margins all the way around, I think.

This first story will at least set the scene, if not also largely introduce the main villains that the Scouts will have to face in battle, in fact. And it will most likely provide at least one possible back story for at least a few of the characters, as well. Like possibly even Queen Serenity, for example. But I better not say too much more about the story here, I think, or I might ruin it here for you. Please feel free to read, review, and enjoy this story here, if at all possible, of course.

All standard disclaimers that I have already used so far with any of the various stories that I now have on fanfiction dot net will apply. For your information, all of the characters that you may not actually recognize well enough in this story are original characters of mine, unless otherwise stated, in fact. So please don't steal my original characters from this story or any others, for that matter.

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The Beginning of It All_

A _The Chrysanthemum Chronicles_ Series Story

Main Ballroom In The Crystal Palace

Moon City, Moon Kingdom, Moon

June 30, 977

Eventually, though, Darien had brought all five of the Princesses with him to that ballroom. When Darien brought them to Serena's parents, who were already there, waiting for the Princesses to arrive in it, Queen Serenity then said, "Thank you, Prince Darien. You brought them all here as we wanted you to do tonight. Come here, Serena. Amy, Raye, Mina, and Lita, nice to see you all again so soon after I'd last seen you."

Not knowing yet what to expect, of course, Serena then went to her mother, as she'd been told to do. Then Queen Serenity told Prince Daniel, "Blindfold all five of the Princesses. We're now going to play 'Pin The Tail On The Monkey.' And they need to be blindfolded, so that they can't see where to pin their tails, for the obvious reasons."

So Prince Daniel took five moderately-sized black masks that were all quite similar to each other out of a large pocket of his princely robes. And he then blindfolded all five Princesses with them, starting with Princess Serena, for it was actually her very first birthday ever. That done, he then took her by the hand, after having the rest of the Princesses join hands with each other. Then he and Darien led all five of them to a nearby wall. And they gave them five tails of different colors to pin on the monkey that was in a picture on that wall, once they were close enough to it. But only after telling them all well enough here that the one of them who actually pinned their tail closest to the proper location of the monkey's tail would win the game, of course. All five tails were colored quite similarly to their respective dresses, but not entirely, for the obvious reasons.

That done, Prince Daniel had each girl pin their respective tail on the monkey in question when their own names were called. Starting with Princess Serena, simply because it was her birthday, of course. Princess Serena pinned her white tail on the back of the monkey. Of course, everyone who saw her do so knew that wasn't actually the proper location for the tail on the monkey. But to be fair to her at least, for the obvious reasons, they didn't yet comment about her placement of the tail that she'd pinned on the monkey. Supposing, of course, that they'd actually comment at all after her new friends had also pinned their tails on it wherever they thought they should actually put them there.

Raye then went next, and she pinned the tail where the monkey's nose would be. Of course, when all the Princesses saw the monkey they'd been trying to pin the tail on in the proper location, she'd be quite surprised. Then she backed away from the wall and into Prince Daniel's arms, who kept her from tripping over a nearby plant, for the obvious reasons.

Then Amy said, "I'll try now." Then she reached up to the wall, and felt all over the picture, even brushing her hands over both Serena and Raye's now-pinned tails in the process. After about a minute of doing that, she pinned the tail on the monkey's left rear leg about a third down that leg from its left hip. Then she backed away about two or three feet, until she bumped slightly into Serena, who was now being held by the hand by her mother. And then Serenity then steadied Amy with her free hand, of course, for the obvious reasons.

With that then done here, Prince Darien then guided Lita and Mina to the wall when they were each told that they could then try to pin their tails on the monkey in question on the wall. First Lita, and then Mina.

While Lita pinned her tail on the monkey's stomach, Mina pinned her tail on the monkey's right rear foot. And then, when Prince Daniel asked each of the Princesses if they wished to move their tails, Lita, Mina, and Raye said, "No, we're fine," in the same order that they'd originally placed them earlier. However, Amy moved her tail up the monkey's left rear leg about another two or three inches. Which meant that it was now almost all the way to the monkey's left hip, in fact. And Serena moved her own tail about two inches closer to its head.

Eventually, Serena and Amy were satisfied enough with their placements of their respective tails on the monkey in the picture. So Daniel and Darien, as well as Serenity, then guided them both to nearby cushions within their quite similar viewing ranges, for the obvious reasons. And they had the girls sit down on them for about a minute or so. With that done, Queen Serenity then checked the picture against a picture of the average lunar monkey that was on a scroll that she'd just picked up from a nearby table in the ballroom.

That done, she then eventually said, "We have a winner here. It's time to remove the masks, so that all the Princesses see how well they guessed about the proper place for them to put their respective tails on the monkey. Daniel, remove the masks now."

So Daniel did, of course. That done, he put each of the masks back in the same pocket of his robes from which he'd gotten them, of course. Then he waited for further instructions from his wife, of course.

Serenity then said, "Let's check each of the tails you girls pinned on the monkey here, one by one. Let's start with Serena's, first, and then go in order of the rest of you girls' pinning of those tails on the monkey here."

She looked for Serena's tail, and then she said, "Sorry, Serena, you put your tail too far in front of where it should be, for you put it about two inches below its shoulders. So that won't work out for you. Sorry."

Then she moved to Raye's tail, and said, seconds later, "Raye, you stuck your tail on its nose, not where it was supposed to be."

"I pinned its nose?"

"I'm afraid so, Raye."

"How am I ever going to live this down now?"

"I'm sure you'll have plenty of chances to make up for it in the future, Raye," said Serena. "I'm sure that you'll be better than me at least when it comes to one thing. Though I'm not sure what that thing is yet, if it's only one thing, Raye. I didn't do too well with my tail, did I?"

"No, I suppose not, Serena."

Then Serenity moved to Amy's tail. And she said, after about another minute or so, "Not bad, Amy. You pinned it about three or four inches from where it should be on the monkey's picture. So far, you're the closest to the proper position for the monkey's tail."

Lita said, "I pinned my tail next, Queen Serenity."

"That you did, Lita. However, you pinned its stomach instead of where you should've actually pinned it."

Mina said, "Lita loves food quite a bit, I hear, Queen Serenity. I wonder if that's why she actually pinned its stomach with her tail."

"Is that so, Lita?"

"I suppose it is. But Mina still had no reason to tell you that, Queen Serenity. I suspect that she and I will often not be seeing eye-to-eye all the time in the future. But why that'd be the case, I don't yet know. Even though, of course, I'd probably like to find out, for the obvious reasons."

"I didn't tell her anything that she couldn't have found out from someone else."

"Mina, don't you know it's not nice to gossip about someone else?" asked Queen Serenity.

"I didn't know that. I'll try to keep from doing that in the future, if I can. But don't be surprised, though, if I can't keep myself from doing that."

"Good. Do that, and I'm sure that you'll have a lot more friends than if you gossiped about them and they found out that you'd done so. Treat them right, and the chances of them doing so with you might very well be increased to at least some degree that you might least expect them to."

"How did I do, then, Queen Serenity?" asked Mina, in very short order here, in fact.

Queen Serenity looked, and then she said, "You pinned its right rear foot, Mina. Of course, that means that you don't win either. Amy's the closest to the proper location for the monkey's tail with her own, so she wins."

Serena then asked, "What's her prize for that win, then, Mom?"

Serenity then said, "She'll get a crystal that'll be hers for the rest of her mortal life. God willing, of course. She'll get the Mercury Star Crystal, which has been here on the Moon for at least five hundred Terran years, if not longer. In the future, I suspect that it'll provide her with certain powers and items for her to use as she needs to use them. Especially if she finds herself someday actually living on the Earth for a long enough time. With or without other people and animals from the Moon Kingdom being with her while she then does so."

Then Serenity led everyone with her, Daniel, and Darien over to a certain table in the ballroom. And she then reached for a certain crystal on that table. That done, she then said, after picking it up, "Princess Amy, this crystal was mined near Hermes City on your world about six Terran centuries ago. It was brought here to the Moon as payment for various shipments of food items to your world when the Sun burned most of the crops near your own Mercurian city of Mercury City in the Terran year of 462. Fortunately for your world's people, your people had stockpiled at least three Terran years' worth of food in various Mercurian granaries before the Sun had burned most of the crops in that part of your world. That stockpiled food allowed them to sustain your world's population at least long enough for several diplomats from your world to get here and lobby for shipments of numerous food items to be sent to your world. And to have such food shipments arrive on your world in time to keep people from dying of starvation due to lack of food on your world. It only cost your world the Mercury Star Crystal to get that food. And that crystal's been here on the Moon ever since. Someday, if I get the chance, I'll tell you more about the Star Crystal that you've just won here."

"Is it mine forever, Queen Serenity?" asked Amy, once she took it from Queen Serenity's waiting hands.

"It's yours for the rest of your mortal life. However long that is, at least, if God chooses to let you keep it at least that long, if not longer."

"Thank you, Queen Serenity."

Then the five Princesses played more games elsewhere on the grounds of the Crystal Palace, for the obvious reasons. And each of them won one crystal by the time that all those games were completely over. Which, of course, pleased Serenity, Daniel, and Darien, for the obvious reasons.

Raye won the Mars Star Crystal for hitting the most bull's eyes while blindfolded in an archery-related contest in a field about two hundred feet from the Crystal Palace's main ballroom. She'd hit seventeen bulls' eyes in twenty shots from a distance of one hundred feet. She did this by finishing six ahead of Lita, eight ahead of both Mina and Serena, and nine ahead of Amy, who often had trouble making her arrows fly where she wanted them to go at that distance from the target.

Mina won the Venus Star Crystal for staying hidden from each of the other Princesses longer than they could each stay hidden from her or from each other. She stayed hidden a cumulative twenty seconds longer than Serena did, thirty seconds longer than Amy, fifty seconds longer than Raye, and two hundred seconds longer than Lita. After which, she soon received the Venus Star Crystal, of course.

Lita won the Jupiter Star Crystal for most accurately identifying the ingredients in a chicken and tuna casserole while she'd been blindfolded. In that contest, she'd been followed by Serena, Amy, Mina, and Raye in that exact order. Who, of course, also had all been blindfolded during it in one of the royal kitchens. And then Lita received her own Jupiter Star Crystal, for the obvious reasons.

Finally, Serena won herself the Crescent Moon Crystal. Which would signify that she was a Moon Princess, and that she'd been chosen by her mother as her successor. That was if the visions her mother had been seeing for more than a Terran year were sufficiently incorrect to allow Serena to someday be crowned as the Moon Kingdom's next Queen, in fact. She did this here, quite simply enough, by actually throwing a discus the farthest distance of all five Princesses here on the Crystal Palace's grounds. She threw her discus for a combined total of 1,500 feet with only six throws. While Raye threw her discus for about 1,320 feet, Amy threw for about 1,224 feet, Lita threw for about 1,176 feet, and Mina threw for about 1,034 feet. And now Serena would carry this crystal until such time as she acquired the Imperium Silver Crystal sometime yet in the future, if and when she ever did. And with it, it'd hopefully often remind her that the Imperium Silver Crystal would someday be hers. That was to be the case only if it was God's will, and if enough things worked out sufficiently well to allow her to gain and keep possession of it someday in the future, by the way.

When each Princess had then won a crystal for winning various games that they'd just played with each other, Serenity, Daniel, and Darien then brought them all back into the Crystal Palace's main ballroom. They did this for the rest of what was now evidently Serena's first birthday party, for the obvious reasons. That done, Serenity led all of her current companions to the table where Serena's chocolate birthday cake was now sitting on next to at least three different kinds of ice cream. Then she had all the Princesses except Serena sit down. Then she had Serena come to her, so that they could both cut her birthday cake, once Serena had blown out her birthday candle. And Serena then told her mother where she wanted them to cut her the first piece of that cake, if she'd not already done so here, in fact. Serena came to her, and Serenity then picked her up, of course. That done, Serena then had her mother put her closer to the cake, so that she could look at it a bit easier than if she'd be farther away from it. So Serenity brought her quite close to the cake. But not too close, for all the obvious reasons.

That done, Serena then asked, "Why's there a lit candle on this cake?"

Her mother said, "You're supposed to make a wish before you blow it out, Serena."

"Oh. Okay. Then please have the other Princesses here with us now come here to us. I'd like us to form a circular chain with each other as you hold onto me and I then blow out the candle on my cake."

"You heard her, girls. Please come over here, and form a circle as she tells you to, before she makes her wish and blows out her candle, then."

So all four of the remaining girls with Serena, her parents, and Darien then came to where Serena wanted them to be near the table. That done, Serena then reached down for Raye with her left hand and Amy with her right. Then she had Raye take her left hand, and Amy her right. Then she had Lita give Raye her right hand, and Raye give Lita her own left hand. Lita then gave her own left hand to Mina. Mina then gave Lita her own right hand, as she extended her own left hand to Amy, who then closed the circle by giving Mina her own right hand. With that now done, Serena then closed her eyes. And she secretly wished that she'd be able to spend many long and quite happy years with them in the future of their respective mortal lives. This was for reasons that might or might not already be obvious in her own mortal life. Then she opened her eyes, so that she could finally blow out the birthday candle on her cake, of course.

When she did so, she then let Amy and Raye's hands go. And she said that the other girls could do the same thing with each of their other neighbors in the circle. Then she said, after blowing out the candle on her cake, "Mom, I think we need to cut my cake now. I want a corner piece that has at least two red roses on it."

"Okay, Serena." So Serenity reached down with one hand, and picked up a cake knife from the table. That done, she then handed Serena briefly to her father, so that she could put the knife in her right hand. Then when she said it was all right, Daniel put Serena on Serenity's left arm, so that both Serenity and Serena could then cut the cake while they held the knife with their respective right hands. Then they both cut a piece out of the corner of the cake that was the nearest one on their right. This piece was three inches square and two inches deep, and it had three red roses on it.

Then Serenity asked her daughter, "Are you sure that you can eat that much cake, Serena?"

"Sure, Mom. I can eat that much cake at once. It may not be good for me, but I can eat it."

Just then, Luna popped into the main ballroom with Artemis not too far behind her. Both she and Artemis had forgotten about Serena's birthday party for most, if not all, of the day, evening, and night. And they'd actually spent most of the intervening time either sleeping, playing various games with each other, or hunting for mice for them to eat all over the Crystal Palace's grounds. And that was why they'd not showed up in the main ballroom of that palace before they'd just done so. Serena was the first to see them in the main ballroom, and asked, "Luna, where've you and Artemis been since this morning?"

"We've been occupied with various things, Serena. We're sorry we forgot about your birthday party today as much as we did before now. How's your birthday been today and tonight?"

"Quite exciting, as a matter of fact. Darien brought me some people to play with for quite some time into the future. God willing, of course. Have you met them before?"

"Sure. We both met them when they got here not too long ago. Are you girls all enjoying yourselves here at Serena's party?"

"Sure are, Luna," said Raye. "We're all having a blast here. Granted, we're all not more than two Terran years old, at most, but we're still having fun here in the Crystal Palace right now, Luna. And we've had a lot of fun since meeting Serena here in the Crystal Palace."

"I wish we'd have gotten here earlier," said Artemis.

"Well, at least you're here now, you two," said Mina. "So feel free to have as much fun as you two cats can here at this party for Serena's birthday in the Crystal Palace's main ballroom."

Then Luna and Artemis, as well as the girls, Serena's parents, and Darien did exactly that at least until midnight, if not longer, for the obvious reasons. And they quite thoroughly enjoyed themselves as they did so. Much conversation was also shared among all of them as well, for the obvious reasons. And at least until the girls began to get quite tired there in the Crystal Palace's main ballroom, if not even longer than that here.

When all the Princesses then began to get too tired in the main ballroom, Serenity soon called an end to the party in question for Serena there. And with the help of Princes Daniel and Darien, she then put them all to bed in what'd be their own Crystal Palace chambers whenever they were in residence with her there. For the obvious reasons, of course, she made sure that her husband and Darien weren't around totally while she was preparing each of them for bed, but that they were also close enough to each of the Princesses' respective chambers. That was so that after they'd been prepared sufficiently for bed, they could help her put them to bed as necessary.

And then, after each of the Princesses had eventually fallen sufficiently asleep in their respective chambers, she and her husband soon retired for the rest of the night. And Darien then went to his own Crystal Palace chambers, for the obvious reasons for each of them. And once they'd all gone to their respective Crystal Palace chambers, they all stayed asleep at least until the Sun rose and the Earth set the following lunar morning in their part of the Moon. Supposing, of course, that none of them were somehow disturbed as they slept in their beds during the remainder of the night.

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I suppose that I'd better stop here now. For this will be where the next part of the story will take up from, in fact, readers. I hope that you have so far enjoyed the story, if you've gotten this far, and that you'll continue to read it, once I put more of it up here on fanfiction dot net. I don't know how long it will take me to get each story in this series up fully on fanfiction dot net. But it might take a while for each story in this series, just the same, readers. Until later, then, this is "The Universal Storyteller" signing off here. Happy reading, and God bless, and all that, of course, readers! Over and out! 


	3. Chapter Three

People, this is my first primarily Silver Millennium Era-set "Sailor Moon" fan fiction series. This story and others in the series will have its chapter divisions marked by location and date inserts like the one that you will find below this section, unless I decide otherwise. I have been working on stories in its series for at least a few years now. There will be plenty of places that the Scouts and their relatives will go in this series. Some of them, you might not even expect until you hear of them, in fact. I hope that you'll enjoy all the stories that are in this story's story series, of course. For the most part, if not entirely, the actual stories, in single-file form, are about the length of a typical novel, at least when I've been using half-inch margins all the way around, I think.

This first story will at least set the scene, if not also largely introduce the main villains that the Scouts will have to face in battle, in fact. And it will most likely provide at least one possible back story for at least a few of the characters, as well. Like possibly even Queen Serenity, for example. But I better not say too much more about the story here, I think, or I might ruin it here for you. Please feel free to read, review, and enjoy this story here, if at all possible, of course.

All standard disclaimers that I have already used so far with any of the various stories that I now have on fanfiction dot net will apply. For your information, all of the characters that you may not actually recognize well enough in this story are original characters of mine, unless otherwise stated, in fact. So please don't steal my original characters from this story or any others, for that matter.

Now without further ado, let's get on with the story once again, if that's all right with you here, readers. And I hope that if you've read the first two sections of this story here, that you've enjoyed what you've read of it so far. More will come as time allows, of course. And I really hope to add all of the remaining chapters for this story at least, by the end of April, at the latest. That's so that all of you people on fanfiction dot net who've followed the story well enough, and often enough, will be able to eventually read the whole story here, of course. Please read, review, and enjoy, if at all possible, quite naturally enough, for all the obvious reasons, readers!

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The Beginning of It All_

A _The Chrysanthemum Chronicles_ Series Story

Inside Serena's Chambers In The Imperial Palace

Moon City, Moon Kingdom, Moon

June 11, 979

Almost two Terran years later, Serenity was spending at least some of her somewhat rare free time with Serena and the other Princesses talking about various things that the Princesses wanted to talk to her about. They were sitting on the floor in Serena's chambers talking about whatever things crossed their minds, in a quite casual manner. For nothing major was really on their minds at the current time. Currently with Serenity and Serena in Serena's chambers in the Imperial Palace were Amy, Raye, Lita, and Mina. And Serenity was currently about 36 weeks along in a period of gestation as she was talking with Serena and the rest of the aforementioned Princesses now with her there.

This stayed the case for a little while after Serenity had joined Serena and her fellow Princesses in her daughter's chambers in the Imperial Palace, which was another Moon Kingdom palace in the Moon City local area. The Imperial Palace was considerably larger than the Crystal Palace was. But not more than about twice the size of the Crystal Palace, at most. And Serena's Imperial Palace chambers were about sixty or so percent larger than her Crystal Palace chambers were. As were the Imperial Palace chambers of her fellow Moon Kingdom Princesses, when compared to the Crystal Palace chambers of those Princesses.

However, it'd not stay the case for the rest of the day. For while Queen Serenity was with her daughter and her fellow Princesses Amy, Raye, Lita, and Mina, she'd be unexpectedly interrupted by circumstances that were beyond her own control. Meaning, of course, that either she'd have to attend to certain unexpected Moon Kingdom-related business, or she'd unexpectedly have to give birth before too much more time had passed, most likely.

As a matter of fact, as she was visiting with Serena and her friends Raye, Amy, Lita, and Mina, she'd feel her water break unexpectedly. But not for quite a while yet, though. That time would come to her within an hour or two, however, most likely, and it'd come when she might least expect it.

At the current time, though, Serenity was discussing her plans for the future of the Moon Kingdom with the Princesses talking to her in Serena's Imperial Palace chambers. She said to Serena, "I hope that our Silver Millennium lasts at least until you girls are all of sufficient age to rule our Moon Kingdom. But I really don't know if that'll ever be possible here, in actual reality."

Serena asked, "Why don't you know if that'll ever be possible, Mom?"

Serenity answered her, after a few seconds, as she sipped a bit of her mandarin orange tea, "Because I've been having some rather disturbing dreams and/or visions of late more and more frequently on an average day here in the Moon Kingdom, it seems, Serena."

"Dreams and/or visions about an unknown enemy, perhaps?"

"As a matter of fact, Serena, I've indeed had such dreams and/or visions of late more and more frequently. How do you know about them, besides the fact that I've just told you about them, Serena?"

"I've been having some dreams and/or visions like that as well for at least a while. At first, I thought they were just periodical nightmares. And I thought so up at least until early this morning, if not even later than that, here. This morning, I saw a vision of great terror while I was sleeping. It seemed a little familiar to me. Almost like the dreams and/or visions I had not long after my own birth. Do you remember those dreams and/or visions, Mom? You told me about them a few weeks before I first knowingly met Raye, Amy, Lita, and Mina. And I remembered that you'd told me then about them this morning, when I was woken up a few hours before Earth set today."

"Tell me about them, Serena, then, if you wish."

Serena then touched her mother's forehead, and Serenity touched Serena's. When they did so, a crescent moon appeared on both their foreheads. And all four of their eyes snapped shut. A mind-link soon ensued. And during it, Serena and Serenity conversed silently with each other for at least twenty or so minutes. This they did while keeping their fingers on each other's forehead, and specifically where their respective crescent moons appeared on them. Serenity viewed Serena's recent-enough visions and/or dreams that'd caused Serena to become afraid about a yet-unknown enemy of the Moon Kingdom. And after she did so, she then chased away all the disturbing emotions Serena had been experiencing while she'd seen those dreams and/or visions that had bothered her so much. Or at least as many of them as she could possibly chase away at the current time, anyway. This, of course, was for all the obvious reasons. After she did so, Serena and Serenity each dropped out of their mind-link at the same exact instant by both of them thinking of different things and/or people at that time. Serena had been born with the gift of frequent dreams and frequent visions. As had her mother. And Serena had also been born with the ability to link minds with at least one other being with sufficient intelligence, if not more than one, if she was actually given the proper circumstances under which such a mind-link could occur normally, at any time in her own life.

However, sometime in the future, Serena would lose the aforementioned gift of frequent visions that she'd been born with, for reasons that weren't yet known to her or to any other Moon Kingdom inhabitant, at the very least. This gift would somehow be transferred to Raye someday after that happened. But she'd not lose her ability to have frequent dreams in the future. And neither would the rest of the Princesses now with her in her own chambers somewhere in the Moon City-area Imperial Palace in the Moon Kingdom on the Moon.

After a time, she and at least a few other people would be transferred somehow from the Moon to the Earth, if the visions and/or dreams that she and her mother had recently been having for at least a while were sufficiently accurate in their respective natures. But Serenity wouldn't be among them, at least not in a physical sense. For reasons that eventually would become evident to the necessary people, if things went well enough to allow them to somehow travel to the Earth from the Moon, and if they'd ever become evident to those people.

After Serenity and Serena had mutually broken their mind-link with each other, Serenity said, "Raye, Lita, Amy, Mina, and Serena, you'll all eventually be going to Earth to live full-time. I can't explain how I know this here. But I somehow know that you'll all be living there someday in the future. Even though I don't know when it'll come to pass, I just know it, after seeing Serena's recent-enough dreams and/or visions, and comparing them with mine that are sufficiently similar to Serena's dreams and/or visions of late. I wish I could tell you more at the current time, but I can't. For reasons that I can't fully explain right now, but that I'll likely be able to explain someday yet in the future, if things go sufficiently well for us until then, I can't tell you more than I've already told you about them at the current time."

Raye asked, "Are you sure, Queen Serenity?"

"Yes, unfortunately, I actually am sure, Raye. Sorry."

Amy asked, "When are you due to stop gestating, Queen Serenity?"

"Sometime in the next month or so, Amy. Why?"

"I think Serena wants to have a sister or a brother soon, if not at least one of either or both. She's been wondering why she doesn't yet have at least one. For she's been asking me quite frequently about my family."

"I see. Raye, has she been doing the same for you?"

"Not really. I'm not as close to Serena as Amy evidently is. Sure, I'm close to Serena, of course, but not as tight with her as Amy seems to be. I suppose that's because Serena bawls and complains quite frequently. Especially when she has to attend certain trade conferences, I think. She doesn't really like attending them much, Queen Serenity. And I'd be willing to bet, if I were a betting girl, that Amy, Lita, and Mina don't either, for I don't normally like to attend them either."

"I see. Lita, how's your family back on Jupiter?"

"Okay, based on what I'd last heard from and about them, which was about two weeks or so ago, at the very least, if not longer. I forget exactly how long it's been since I last heard from or about them. I do know it's been a while, though, since then."

"Mina, how about you?"

"Same thing with my family as it is with Lita. I've not heard from or about them for a while either. I don't know why, and I don't think Lita knows why she's not heard from or about her family for a while yet either."

Then the six Moon Kingdom royals chatted with each other for a little while longer, for the obvious reasons. At least they did so until Serenity's water unexpectedly broke while she was still with all the aforementioned Princesses in Serena's Imperial Palace chambers. Serenity had ducked into Serena's bathroom area for a few minutes. And while she was in there, her water broke unexpectedly.

When it did, Serenity then called out to Serena, and she shouted at her, "Serena, ring for Dr. Matthew and all the other necessary people right now. I'm going to be having at least one baby in your bathroom, it seems. Raye, get in Serena's closet and get some towels and blankets for Dr. Matthew, the necessary maidservants, and me to use while I have to give birth to at least one baby. Amy, Mina, and Lita, go find them, and make sure that they get here within the next ten to fifteen minutes, please. Serena, after you summon all the necessary people, I want you to put some slippers on, so that if you come in here, you won't fall down unnecessarily. And make sure that you put on some clean clothes and wash your hands before you come in here to your bathroom. This, of course, is for all the obvious reasons."

So each of the girls then did as instructed of them by Serenity, for the obvious reasons. Even Serena, for she didn't want to cause any unnecessary trouble for her mother or anyone else, of course.

Then, within the next ten to twenty minutes, at most, Serenity was joined in Serena's bathroom by Dr. Matthew, three of her maidservants, and Daniel. But not by Serena, at least not yet, if she'd be able to go in there herself for a while later on. That was because Daniel didn't want her in there yet, for reasons that weren't yet told to her. So Serena waited just outside her bathroom until her parents said that she could come into it.

In the meantime, Serenity spent at least the next few hours in the process of labor while she was in Serena's bathroom. And while she did so, Serena and her fellow Princesses found other things to occupy their time with, as they were watched by at least one, if not more than one, of Serenity's many royal maidservants. That, of course, was for all the obvious reasons.

Eventually, by the late afternoon or early evening, Serena was finally allowed to enter her own bathroom to see her mother again. Of course, before she entered her own bathroom, she'd made at least doubly sure that she'd put on clean clothes and washed her hands, for the obvious reasons.

Of course, before she even entered her own bathroom, she had to get permission from both her parents, Dr. Matthew, and all the necessary royal maidservants with her and the Princesses anywhere in her own chambers. But eventually she did get all the needed okays to enter it, of course.

By the time that she finally did so, her mother Serenity had delivered twin girls. Both of them were about as big as Serena had been when she'd been born, but not definitely as big as Serena had been at that time.

One of the twins was about twenty inches long, while the other was about two inches or so longer. The younger of the twins was the longer of the two, while the older was the shorter. But the younger twin girl weighed about 7.5 pounds at her birth time, which was about two pounds lighter than the older twin. Both of them, though, were both shorter and lighter than Serena had been when she'd been born to Serenity almost three Terran years before. For Serena, unlike them, had weighed in at roughly 12.5 pounds and been about 24 inches long when she'd been born on June 30, 976, in the Crystal Palace elsewhere in the Moon City local area.

When she then entered her own bathroom, her mother was propped up against a nearby wall of it, for all the obvious reasons. Now in Serenity's arms were her new twin girls, with the younger being on her left arm, and the older being on her right arm.

Serena asked, quite surprised, for the obvious reasons, "Twins? I've got twin sisters now?" She hadn't expected twins, of course. She'd only expected her mother to have one baby in the very near future, once she'd learned her parents were expecting to have at least one other child of their own several months before.

Serenity looked at her oldest daughter, and said, "Yes, Serena, you're now the older sister of twin girls. However, they aren't yet named. I was now wondering if you'd be interested in actually suggesting a name for at least one of them, if not both of them."

"Can I hold them yet?"

"Not yet. But you can look at them, if you want."

Serena toddled as carefully as she could over to her mother, and said, "Okay, I think I will." Serena looked at her new sisters, once she got close enough to them to do so better. And she studied them both.

After about ten or twenty more minutes had passed for her and everyone else who was currently in her bathroom, Serena then said, "Destiny and Bethany."

"Which one should be which?"

"Destiny should be the one with the birthmark on the back of her neck. Bethany should be the one who has a birthmark in the small of her back. Will they have crescent moons like you and me?"

"I don't know yet, Serena."

"Which one's older?"

"The one you want me to call 'Destiny', Serena. She was born about an hour before the one you want me to call 'Bethany', Serena. You were bigger than either of them when you yourself were born. Why do you want me to call them those names, Serena?"

"I don't know, Mom. I wish I did. But I don't know why. Or at least, I don't know why yet."

"Would you like to have another sibling or two someday, if it's actually God's will that your dad and I have at least one more child?"

"I'd like a brother, if possible."

"We'll have to see about that, Serena, of course. Are you sure that you'd like us to call your new twin sisters Destiny and Bethany?"

"Yes, Mom. I'm sure that I'd like that very much."

"Very well, then. Let it be as you've said, then," said Serenity, after discussing Serena's suggestion for at least a brief period of time with Daniel, for the obvious reasons. Serena watched them discuss that very matter, of course. And she was soon rewarded with the aforementioned positive response from Serenity.

So Serena's choices of first names for her new twin sisters were eventually approved by both of her parents. And the older twin became Destiny Anne Moon, while the younger twin became Bethany Rachel Moon. With that done here, Serenity then arose from her position against the nearby wall, once Dr. Matthew and her maidservants had said she could do so. That was after Dr. Matthew and Daniel had each taken one of the twins from her arms so she could then rise from that position, of course.

As soon as Serenity was able to stand sufficiently well without major help, she then sent her husband and one of her maidservants away to get her some other clothes for her to change into after a bath, of course. This she did as Dr. Matthew and one of the other maidservants present with her and Serena in Serena's bathroom held Destiny and Bethany in their arms, of course. She sat on the edge of Serena's bath, with her feet in the nearby water, as she waited for some of her clothes to arrive in Serena's bathroom, as ordered by her.

When Daniel and her maidservant returned with the necessary clothes, she asked everyone to clear Serena's bathroom except for Daniel and at least one of her maidservants. Even Serena, for reasons currently too numerous to mention, she sent away for the time being. That was once Dr. Matthew had eventually said it was now safe for Destiny and Bethany to leave their older sister's bathroom for the first time in each of their lives. Serenity had two of her maidservants bring Destiny and Bethany to her own Imperial Palace chambers, once they were wrapped up warmly enough in two blankets by Dr. Matthew. And they were to stay with them at least until she returned to her own chambers there for the rest of the day, evening, or night. Just before Serena left her own bathroom as asked of her by her mother, Serenity said, "Serena, it looks like you're going to have to take your bath in one of the other Princesses's bathrooms, if you want to take it in the next twenty or so minutes. When I actually want you back in your chambers again, I'll then summon you by pulling your bell chain six to eight times rather quickly. After which, I'll then expect you back here within fifteen minutes, at most, if at all possible."

"Understood." So Serena left her bathroom, and then, not more than a few minutes later, her chambers, followed almost instantly by Raye, Amy, Lita, and Mina, who'd waited in Serena's bedroom for Serena to exit her own bathroom again. Serena then led her fellow Princesses to another part of the Imperial Palace. And specifically to Amy's chambers in it, once she'd gotten permission from Amy to do so.

And once in Amy's chambers, she stayed there at least until she was summoned to her own chambers by her mother Serenity. While in Amy's chambers, then, Serena took a bath. That was only after one of her mother's maidservants had first joined her in Amy's bathroom, for the obvious reasons. And while she bathed, her fellow Princesses talked to her about her new twin sisters Destiny and Bethany. After she finished her bath, she then left it, and changed into some clothes that she'd brought with her into Amy's own chambers, of course. That done, she then climbed into Amy's bed, once Amy had said that she could do so here. And she then napped for a while there. By the time that she woke up again in Amy's bed, she'd also been joined in it by the other four Princesses, who'd also decided to take short naps in it, in fact.

She only left it when she began hearing the bells that were now summoning her to her own chambers, of course. The bells eventually woke her up, of course. And when they did, her right foot made contact with Mina's nose, and her left foot made contact with Raye's left elbow. That then caused Raye and Mina to wake up as well, of course. Raye and Mina both shifted their positions on Amy's bed. And Mina then rolled on top of Lita, while Raye accidentally bumped Amy off the bed onto the surrounding floor.

Of course, Amy wasn't very happy when that happened. For she landed on her hands and knees on that floor when she'd accidentally been bumped out of her own bed by Raye. Amy was startled more than anything. And when she'd shaken out her legs and arms a bit, she then reached up and tried to climb back in her own bed. But she couldn't do so before Serena rolled over her hands, and Raye began stretching out on the bed, while hoping to find a more comfortable position to be in on it. One of Raye's feet accidentally smacked Lita in the nose. While the other foot then poked Amy in the forehead, as Amy tried to get her hands out from under Serena, who'd rolled onto them. Serena had rolled onto them as Amy stood up again, after being accidentally knocked down again by Raye. And as Amy tried to free her hands from under Serena, Mina drifted back to sleep in Amy's bed.

Lita awoke almost immediately, and asked who'd just bonked her in the nose, and who was now on top of her. Amy, who'd now been awake for about a minute less than Serena had, then said, "Lita, Raye was shifting position on my bed unconsciously. And she accidentally bonked you in the nose. Mina's asleep again on top of you. And she woke up briefly when Serena woke up and poked her in the nose with her foot. Raye got poked in the elbow by the stretching Serena, and that woke her up. Raye then accidentally knocked me onto the floor. And Serena rolled on top of my hands not long afterward. Raye then shifted position on my bed and knocked me down again by accident as she also accidentally bonked you in the nose. I'm still trying to get my hands out from under Serena."

Lita then prodded Mina a few times until she was sufficiently awake. Then she had Mina roll back off her, of course. That done, she then sat up in Amy's bed. She then tried to get Raye off Serena, for Raye had then rolled over onto the back of Serena's legs, as Raye was trying to untangle herself from the pile of Princesses still on Amy's bed. Raye was a bit heavy for her at the current time, so she had to have Mina tickle Raye's feet a bit. Mina then tickled Raye's feet, and that made Raye roll over until she was off Serena's legs. That done, Raye, Mina, and Lita then tickled Serena wherever they could tickle her, if they wanted to do so, so that Serena would hopefully roll off Amy's hands. A minute after they then began tickling Serena, Serena then rolled off Amy's hands and swung her legs down to the surrounding floor, swinging them barely over Amy's head as she did so.

That then freed Amy's hands, of course. And before her mother would summon her again ten minutes after the current time, Serena quite quickly apologized to her fellow Princesses, for all the obvious reasons, as she quite quickly left Amy's chambers for her own. Just under ten minutes later, then, Serena arrived back in her own chambers again, as required of her by her mother Serenity. Serenity was glad to see that Serena had obeyed her orders to return to her own Imperial Palace chambers in a timely enough manner when summoned, of course, and she then said so.

When Serenity and Serena were alone again in Serena's chambers again minutes later, Serena asked, "Mother, I don't suppose you're going to the ball tonight. Are you?"

"No, of course not. And I don't think you need to either. For it's nearly midnight, it seems. I think you should get your sleep tonight. For we're going to be busy for at least the next week, I think, Serena."

"Is Darien going to be at the ball tonight?"

"No. He's not currently on the Moon, as far as I know, Serena. Why?"

"I was hoping to see him there tonight. It's been at least four Terran months since I last saw him, Mom."

"True, Serena. But he and his parents have been quite busy of late on Earth. I don't know when he'll come back here again, Serena."

"Can I stay up at least until midnight, Mom? I want to see if I can find his land on Earth before I retire for the rest of the night."

"They're not really all that visible, if at all, at the current time there, Serena. A major storm has blown in from the southeast. And it's hidden most, if not all, of it from our view within the last twelve or so Terran hours. I don't think you'll be able to see most, if not all, of it tonight, Serena. Sorry, Serena. I wish that wasn't actually the case, but it seems to be it at the current time."

"Very well, Mom. I shall retire for the rest of the night in a little while. How long is it now until midnight?"

"Ten minutes. All right, Serena. I'm in a bit of a charitable mood at the moment. I'll let you stay up at least until midnight. But not more than an hour past it. That'll allow you to get a bedtime snack and to see your new sisters again, if you wish. But it won't allow you to stay up all night, if you don't have to."

"Thank you, Mom. Now may I try to find the Earth in the sky above?"

"If you wish. But don't stay out on your balcony too long, for it's supposed to get a little cooler not long after midnight. And I don't want you to get too cool, if you don't have to, Serena. But I expect you in your bed by the time it's an hour past midnight, if at all possible."

Then Serenity left Serena alone in her own chambers, after which Serena then went onto her balcony for a while. For at least the next eight to ten minutes, she scanned the visible sky as much as she could, while she tried to find the Earth in the sky above the Moon City-area Imperial Palace on the Moon. She soon found the Earth, and searched for Darien's nation on it. But she was still unable to see it, for the exact same reason or reasons that her mother had just given her earlier during their little discussion in her own Imperial Palace chambers. She spent about ten minutes searching for it. But eventually she quit doing so, for the obvious reasons.

Then Serena went to one of the dining halls elsewhere in the Imperial Palace, and she got herself a bedtime snack. It took her about fifteen minutes or so to completely consume it. After which she then went to her mother's Imperial Palace chambers so that she could visit with her new twin sisters Destiny and Bethany.

Of course, before she even entered Serenity's chambers there, she knocked on the door, for the obvious reasons. And she waited for someone to come to the door to meet with her, of course. She didn't have to wait more than about five minutes for them to do so. And they let her in not long afterward, when Serenity then said that she could come into her mother's chambers.

Serena was then escorted to where her mother was with Destiny and Bethany. Serenity was glad to see her, and said so. Then Serenity said, "Elizabeth, close and bolt the door securely. Serena, come with me for a moment into my bathroom. Honey, please watch the twins for me while I'm talking to Serena and while Prince Daniel's sleeping." So Serena came closer to her mother, not knowing yet what to expect from her mother.

Honey and Elizabeth did as ordered of them by Serenity, who then picked up Serena, and put her in her arms. Serena then put her arms around her mother's neck, for the obvious reasons. Serenity then carried Serena into her own bathroom, and brought her to a nearby cushion. She set Serena on that cushion, and then she pulled another one closer to Serena's cushion, so that they could hear each other better while they were alone in Serenity's bathroom.

After a few seconds more had passed, Serena asked, "What do you want to talk to me about, Mother?"

Serenity said, "I have some bad news, if I may call it that, about your twin sisters, Serena."

"Oh?"

"Destiny's blind. Bethany's deaf. I learned these things not long after they were both born. I didn't tell you earlier, because I wasn't actually sure that they were either deaf or blind then. I suspected it, but they didn't really show any signs of being either deaf or blind until after you'd left your chambers as I'd wanted you to do earlier. While you were away, and after I'd bathed, for the obvious reasons, Dr. Matthew and at least one of my maidservants told me that they were indeed deaf or blind, as the case might be for either of them."

"So what does that mean for me and the rest of us?"

"It means that all of us will have to try to help them out as much as we possibly can in the future, Serena. Even you. I'll be counting on you quite a bit to help them as much as you can for as long as you can. You may not like it, but you'll have to try to help them out as much as you can, Serena. You'll likely need to be Destiny's eyes and Bethany's ears, Serena. Can I count on you?"

"I'll try my best, but I don't know how much I'll be able to help both of them out in the future, Mom. I'm still only about three Terran years old, Mom."

"I know that, Serena. But as you know, I'm often quite busy with various Moon Kingdom-related matters. I may not often be able to help them out in the future, because of that. I'll do what I can for them, but I'll need help from as many people as I can with them, most likely. And if you do this, I'll try to make sure that you and your friends don't have to attend as many things during an average Terran year, if I possibly can do so, as you've all normally had to attend. And that you all have often had to attend since you Princesses all met each other on your first birthday, Serena."

"Understood. Very well, Mother. I suppose I can do what I can for them, Mom. I may not like it much, but if it gets me out of having to attend so many meetings and conferences, I suppose I can do what I can for them as long as I can in the future."

"Thank you, Serena. May the three of you become quite close sisters with each other, then, in the future. And I'm very proud of you for agreeing to do what you can for them in the future, Serena. But for the moment, at least, though, Serena, I think that it's time you got to bed. I'll need you up by the middle of the morning, if at all possible. So I think you should now return to your chambers and go to sleep. I'll see you later, then, Serena."

So Serenity carried Serena out of her bathroom, and told Elizabeth to unbolt and open the required door, once Serena had seen her twin sisters for a long enough period of time. Serenity set Serena on the floor, and walked her over to where Destiny and Bethany were now sleeping quite soundly in their cradles. Serena looked them both over in turn, and brushed her right hand over each of the twins' heads quite gently, before she bussed them both on their right cheeks just as gently as she'd brushed her right hand over their heads. Then Serena said, "See you all later, Destiny, Bethany, and Mom. Same to both of you too, Honey and Elizabeth. Sleep tight, everyone. I'll catch you all later, God willing, then." Then Serena left the sides of her sisters and her mother, and she toddled to the door. Which, by now, was open enough to let her out of it. As she left her mother's chambers, she waved good-bye at her mother, her sisters, and her mother's maidservants Elizabeth and Honey, for the obvious reasons. She then hurried as quickly as she could back to her own Imperial Palace chambers. And she retired almost immediately after getting back there easily enough.

* * *

I suppose that I'd better stop here now. For this will be where the next part of the story will take up from, in fact, readers. I hope that you have so far enjoyed the story, if you've gotten this far, and that you'll continue to read it, once I put more of it up here on fanfiction dot net. I don't know how long it will take me to get each story in this series up fully on fanfiction dot net. But it might take a while for each story in this series, just the same, readers. Until later, then, this is "The Universal Storyteller" signing off here. Happy reading, and God bless, and all that, of course, readers! Over and out! 


	4. Chapter Four

People, this is my first primarily Silver Millennium Era-set "Sailor Moon" fan fiction series. This story and others in the series will have its chapter divisions marked by location and date inserts like the one that you will find below this section, unless I decide otherwise. I've been working on stories in its series for at least a few years now. There will be plenty of places that the Scouts and their relatives will go in this series. Some of them, you might not even expect until you actually hear of them, in fact. I really hope that you'll enjoy all the stories that are in this story's story series, of course. For the most part, readers, if not entirely, the actual stories, in single-file form, are about the length of a typical novel, at least whenever I've been using half-inch margins all the way around, I think.

This first story will at least set the scene, if not also largely introduce the main villains that the Scouts will have to face in battle, in fact. And it will most likely provide at least one possible back story for at least a few of the characters, as well. Like possibly even Queen Serenity, for example. But I better not say too much more about the story here, I think, or I might ruin it here for you. Please feel free to read, review, and enjoy this story here, if at all possible, of course.

All standard disclaimers that I have already used so far with any of the various stories that I now have on fanfiction dot net will apply. For your information, all of the characters that you may not actually recognize well enough in this story are original characters of mine, unless otherwise stated, in fact. So please don't steal my original characters from this story or any others, for that matter.

Now without further ado, let's get on with the story once again, if that's all right with you here, readers. And I hope that if you've read the first three sections of this story here, that you've enjoyed what you've read of it so far. More will come as time allows, of course. And I really hope to add all of the remaining chapters for this story at least, by the end of April, at the latest. That's so that all of you people on who've followed the story well enough, and often enough, will be able to eventually read the whole story here, of course. Please read, review, and enjoy, if at all possible, quite naturally enough, for all the obvious reasons, readers!

_

* * *

The Beginning of It All_

A _The Chrysanthemum Chronicles_ Series Story

Inside Raye's Chambers In The Imperial Palace

Moon City, Moon Kingdom, Moon

June 12, 979

After a good six or so hours of sleep had been put under her belt, Serena woke up in her bed again. She quickly changed into other clothes. And then she went to the same dining hall she'd gotten her bedtime snack from several hours before, for her breakfast. She had her breakfast consumed within twenty minutes after entering that dining hall. And after taking her dishes to the necessary people elsewhere in that dining hall, she then hurried to Raye's chambers.

She soon knocked on Raye's door seven or eight times just as hard as she could. And Raye actually came to her door almost immediately after Serena had just woken her up with her knocking on Raye's door, of course.

Raye asked Serena, just as soon as Serena had then joined her in her chambers, "Why did you knock on my door just now, Serena?"

"I have some news about my twin sisters."

"Oh, Serena?" Raye bolted her door as securely as she could. For she somehow then sensed that Serena really wanted to talk to her in private.

"Destiny's blind, and Bethany's deaf."

"Are you sure?"

"That's what Mom told me." Serena then spent at least the next ten minutes, if not even longer than that, with Raye discussing what she now knew about her sisters. And what she'd most likely have to do in the future to help them out. She also said, during that very discussion, "Raye, I'm afraid."

"Of what?"

"That I'll not be able to help them both out quite as much as I'd like in the future."

"Then I suppose the rest of us will just have to try to help you out with them as much as we possibly can in the future, if at all possible."

"Do you know anyone else who's blind or deaf, Raye?"

"Not at the moment, Serena. But I've known them in the past. My paternal grandfather's father was both deaf and blind, in fact, Serena. That was until he left his mortal body behind about eighteen or so Terran months ago. He left it behind as your comet passed between Mars and Phobos on its way back to the area of the Moon about eighteen or so Terran months ago."

"I see. Thanks for listening, Raye. At least I don't think I'm actually being a Meatball Head right now to you."

At least sometimes, whenever one of the Princesses was at least a little mad at Serena, most especially Raye, they'd then call Serena a 'Meatball Head'. For the way she often wore her hair, it often looked like she had a pair of meatballs on her head near her temples. Of course, that wasn't necessarily a very nice nickname for Serena. And when Serena was called that, she'd normally not like it very much, for the obvious reasons. Darien had also been known to call her that in the past, when he'd been mad at her for any reason whatsoever. But he didn't call her that very often. Or at least not as often as the other Princesses might when they were with Serena. However, Serena's parents never called her that, in fact. Even whenever she was being a brat in a particular situation that Serena normally had to deal with in her life.

"No, I don't think you're being that right now to me, Serena. Should we actually tell the other girls about your twin sisters being either deaf or blind, as the case might be, then, Serena?"

"Might as well. They're likely going to find out about them being deaf or blind eventually. So we might as well tell them as soon as we can about Destiny and Bethany being either deaf or blind, as the case might be for either of them."

So Serena and Raye agreed to tell the other Princesses as soon as they could about Destiny being blind and Bethany being deaf. They agreed to do this for all the obvious reasons, of course. And they did so before they left Raye's chambers again, of course.

Raye and Serena then left Raye's chambers for the chambers of each of their fellow Moon Kingdom Princesses who they were familiar enough with already in their lives. They first went to Lita's chambers. And they told her what they'd both agreed to tell her about Destiny and Bethany. Lita then joined them as they went to Amy's chambers next, followed not long afterward by a trip to Mina's chambers, after Amy had left her chambers with them. The four of them then told Mina about Destiny and Bethany being what they each were. And then Mina joined their little group of Princesses, for the obvious reasons. After Mina did so, the five of them soon arrived at Serenity's Imperial Palace chambers. Serena knocked on her mother's door. And she asked if she and her friends could then see Destiny and Bethany again.

Serenity said, "Hold on. I'll be there in five or so minutes. Your father's getting dressed right now, Serena. When he's dressed well enough, I'll be at the door. And I'll let you five in to see Destiny and Bethany."

So the five Princesses waited outside Serenity's chambers for at least five minutes, if not longer, until she opened the door to them, and let them into her chambers. She and Serena then led them to Destiny and Bethany's cradles. And the other Princesses gathered near them, for the obvious reasons. Serenity took Bethany out of her cradle and handed her to Daniel, so that they could see Bethany well enough for the first time in their lives. After she did so, she then took Destiny out of her cradle and sat down on a cushion near it. When she did so, Daniel did the same. Then Serenity and Daniel let Raye, Amy, Lita, and Mina look over Destiny and Bethany as much as they wanted to. This they did as they talked to the Princesses more about them as well.

While they were then doing so here, Luna and Artemis eventually arrived outside Serenity's chambers. As soon as Serenity knew they were there, she then had Serena let them in. Luna and Artemis went almost immediately to Serenity, who they'd not seen for a few days, because they'd just both been visiting a few of Luna's relatives in Crescent's Double Earth Palace elsewhere on the Moon.

Relatives of Luna's that had been born in the same litter with her, as a matter of fact. Luna had been born in a litter with five other kittens about fifteen or so years before, to the cats named Apollo and Iris, who'd been really good friends to Queen Serenity when she'd still been a Princess of the Moon Kingdom. Apollo and Iris had been killed when Queen Serenity's parents had been. They'd been killed about fourteen years before when the _Moon Kingdom Ship Crescent_ had been destroyed by the unexpected explosion of its hyperspace engines. Those engines had exploded just as the ship was about to leave the Sol system for another solar system elsewhere in the Milky Way Galaxy on a diplomatic mission of some importance to the Moon Kingdom. There'd been no survivors of the ship's destruction. Which had then forced Princess Serenity to become the Moon Kingdom's new Queen, for all the obvious reasons. And it then meant that Luna and her siblings would never see their parents again in their mortal lives in a physical sense, of course.

Apollo and Iris had been Princess Serenity's guardian cats until their unexpected deaths. And they'd both been among Serenity's closest friends ever until then. They'd both helped her parents raise her up in the way that she'd most likely have to go in her life. And they'd been really close friends to Serenity ever since they'd first met her.

Their daughter Luna and her feline friend Artemis had served Serenity just as they had, once they'd been lost in the explosion of the _M.K.S. Crescent_. And they'd most likely continue to do so for as long as they could. But they didn't know that Luna and Artemis would actually serve as guardian cats to any other Princesses or Queens of the Moon Kingdom, for all the obvious reasons, if at all possible, in the future.

And ever since Serena's birth, Luna and Artemis had helped Serenity and Daniel begin to raise her up in the way that she'd most likely have to go in her life. Once Raye, Amy, Lita, and Mina entered the picture as well, they did the same thing with them as they were already doing with Serena, for the obvious reasons.

And now, just a few years later, they'd begun to become really close to all five of the aforementioned girls, of course. This was for all the obvious reasons. And only time would tell if they'd also be able to do the same thing for Destiny and Bethany, of course.

At the current time, though, they went to where Serenity was holding Destiny in her arms. And Luna asked, "How are you now, Queen Serenity, and who are the girls that you and Prince Daniel are now holding in your arms?"

"Luna, my dear friend and guardian cat, we're holding my twin daughters Destiny and Bethany. Daniel's holding Bethany. However, Destiny's blind, and Bethany's deaf. Serena already knows about them being that. And so do her fellow Princesses here in this Imperial Palace of ours. I'll be counting on them and you to help Daniel and I to raise them up as well as we all can. Do you two think that you can do so well enough?"

"I suppose we could try, Niti. Of course, we can't necessarily make any promises other than that, for the obvious reasons. But I suppose we could indeed try to help you all do so. It's not going to be easy, of course, for all of us to do so, I think."

"I know, Luna. But since they'll need our help for at least a while, of course, we'll all have to try to do whatever we can for them as long as we still have them with us all in our lives. Same thing goes for you too, Artemis."

Artemis and Luna then spent at least the next few minutes looking over both of the twins, for the obvious reasons, and getting acquainted well enough with them, also for those very reasons. This they did until Serenity let them leave her chambers again, of course.

* * *

I suppose that I'd better stop here now. For this will be where the next part of the story will take up from, in fact, readers. I hope that you have so far enjoyed the story, if you've gotten this far, and that you'll continue to read it, once I put more of it up here on fanfiction dot net. I don't know how long it will take me to get each story in this series up fully on fanfiction dot net. But it might take a while for each story in this series, just the same, readers. Until later, then, this is "The Universal Storyteller" signing off here. Happy reading, and God bless, and all that, of course, readers! Over and out! 


	5. Chapter Five

All standard disclaimers that I have already used so far with any of the various stories that I now have on fanfiction dot net will apply. For your information, all of the characters that you may not actually recognize well enough in this story are original characters of mine, unless otherwise stated, in fact. So please don't steal my original characters from this story or any others, for that matter.

Now without further ado, let's get on with the story once again, if that's all right with you here, readers. And I hope that if you've read the first four sections of this story here, that you've enjoyed what you've read of it so far. More will come as time allows, of course. And I really hope to add all of the remaining chapters for this story at least, by the end of April, at the latest. That's so that all of you people on who've followed the story well enough, and often enough, will be able to eventually read the whole story here, of course. Please read, review, and enjoy, if at all possible, quite naturally enough, for all the obvious reasons, readers!

_

* * *

The Beginning of It All_

A _The Chrysanthemum Chronicles_ Series Story

Inside Serena's Chambers In The Crystal Palace

Moon City, Moon Kingdom, Moon

June 30, 986

A little more than seven Terran years later, it was now Serena's tenth birthday. And it was not more than an hour past dawn in the Moon City area on the Moon. Serena was still quite asleep in her bed there. She was now lost in somewhat pleasant dreams at that time. And her curtains were all currently quite closed, so as to hopefully block out the early morning sunshine to a sufficient enough degree to allow her to actually sleep in past dawn in the area of Moon City on the Moon.

Suddenly, within another hour or two, at most, people started to knock on her door quite frequently. So much so, she then couldn't stay asleep easily enough. When that happened, she asked them to leave her alone, quite naturally. But at least one of them could not hear her do so. For one of those people happened to be Bethany, who was still deaf. Even after several people had tried to find a good enough way to cure her deafness in the years since her birth. And another was Destiny, who was still blind. Even after several attempts to try to cure her blindness by any number of people from anywhere in the Moon Kingdom.

Serena soon figured that out, and then she got out of her bed. Then she went to her closet and picked out some clothes for her to wear that day. With that now done here, she then ducked into her bathroom for a while. And she then took a short bath in it for a while. Then she got dressed, left her bathroom, and gathered up a few of her things elsewhere in her bedroom. That done, she then left her chambers for elsewhere in the Crystal Palace.

As she made her way to one of the Crystal Palace's dining halls, she encountered Darien, who'd come from Earth again on a visit to the Moon for at least a few weeks, if not at least a month, within the last week. She said, "Hi, Darien. I hope you know what today is."

"What's today, Serena?" asked Darien. Even though he already knew what it was now, from often being with her during the past ten Terran years of her life.

"It's my birthday, Darien. Don't tell me you didn't know, honey?"

"It is? I thought it was two weeks from now," kidded Darien.

"Yes, Darien, it is. I know you knew it was. You're trying to kid with me, I'm sure."

"Yes, I suppose you're right. Do you think we should go find the others, then, Serena?"

"I suppose we can do that. Did you happen to knock on my door not long ago?"

"No, Serena. How long ago was this?"

"The first knock was about thirty or so minutes ago, I think. And the last knock was about twenty or so minutes ago, if I'm not too mistaken here about such things."

"Then I wasn't anywhere near your Crystal Palace chambers here. I'd just gotten back from a ride on Black Star elsewhere on this Crystal Palace's grounds. And I was taking care of him before I left him again."

Then the two of them walked together to the aforementioned Crystal Palace dining hall. For they were now both quite hungry. They got there within the next fifteen to twenty minutes, and they both soon got themselves at least some food to eat.

While they were in that dining hall, they were eventually joined in it by the Princesses Raye, Amy, Lita, Mina, Destiny, and Bethany. Destiny, who now had long waist-length brown hair, and Bethany, who now had short black hair that was about chin-length on her, were currently both tied together at the wrist, for the obvious reasons. Bethany was leading Destiny into the dining hall, as well. While the rest of the girls were either signing or speaking verbally quite quietly to either Bethany or Destiny, for the obvious reasons.

The girls soon sneaked up on Serena and Darien. For they wanted to surprise them both, if at all possible, but especially Serena, due to the fact that it was now Serena's birthday. Darien turned around briefly, suspecting that several people were trying to sneak up on the two of them. And he spotted Raye and Amy trying to stay out of sight, but not entirely succeeding. When Raye and Amy realized they'd been spotted by him, they signaled to him to ask him to not let Serena know he'd seen them. And they gave him a sort-of-pleading look when they did so. He considered their silent signals and looks for a few seconds, at least. And he then silently nodded his assent to them. But he looked at them as if to say, "Be careful, and try not to startle her too much while she's either eating or drinking, please, Raye and Amy." They nodded back just as silently. And then they both melted back behind a large sculpture near them in the dining hall, so that Serena hopefully wouldn't see them if she turned away from her food briefly.

They lay in wait for a few minutes. And then, when they were sure that Serena wouldn't see them and their companions do so, they came out from behind their hiding places elsewhere in the dining hall. And they crept even closer to her as much as they could with only one try. By the time they'd finished doing so, they were now within ten feet of her in it. Raye and Amy hid behind a wall that jutted about ten feet into the dining hall from the surrounding walls of the dining hall. Mina, Lita, Destiny, and Bethany also hid behind various plants elsewhere in the dining hall. While Raye and Amy hid behind the aforementioned wall in it for a while.

Five minutes later, all six of the Princesses left their various hiding places in the dining hall, and they sneaked up to the table just behind the one that Serena and Darien were now eating at. They all dove as quietly as they could under it, for all the obvious reasons.

While they did so, Serena suddenly got the feeling that she, at least, if not also Darien as well, was being watched. She then asked Darien, "Do you have this strange feeling that one or both of us are being watched right now?"

"Maybe. Why do you say that?"

"It seems like some Princesses I know are trying to sneak up on me. And that they'd like to surprise me while I'm eating here in this dining hall. I know it's my birthday. So I'd not be surprised if that's what may be going on now. I heard a shield fall off a wall near a door of this dining hall. And I believe that Raye may have knocked it off by accident. For I believe I heard her say 'Rats!', when it fell off the wall."

"Are you sure?"

"No, but I still suspect that Amy, Mina, Raye, Lita, and my sisters are trying to sneak up on me right now."

"So what if they are?"

"Then I suppose I have to act as if I don't know that they are, for the obvious reasons. I suspect they're there, Darien. And I think that you do too. But I'd bet if they are, they silently asked you not to tell me so, if you saw them. Which I think you did. And I think that you agreed not to tell me so, if that's actually the case. You're not going to say so, though, I'm sure. Are you?"

"No, I suppose not, Serena."

"I know the game. For I've played it before with any one or all of them. And I'm sure that you have too, whether here or back on Earth, from which you're from, Darien. I'm quite sure that you know the game too, of course, because of that fact, Prince Darien."

"Yes, I suppose you're right, Serena. I'm not going to say, of course, whether or not they're trying to sneak up on you and surprise you, for the obvious reasons. That'd spoil the game, of course, if they're trying to play such a game with you and/or me, Serena. And we can't have that, I'm sure."

"You got that right, Darien. So I'll just have to pretend that I don't know what they may be trying to do to me, if that's the case. I have a feeling that they're right behind me. For I think I see their hair in the mirror on the ceiling just in front of us. Just not their faces, of course. Otherwise, I could be absolutely sure that they're trying to play a game with me, at the least, if not also you, of course."

So Serena acted as if she didn't know what was likely going on, and so did Darien. This, of course, was for all the obvious reasons. While she did so, Luna and Artemis both entered the dining hall together, hoping to find Serena there. This was because they'd not found her anywhere else in the Crystal Palace as of yet.

They spotted her almost immediately. And they sneaked as quietly as they could toward her, not wanting to let her know that they were looking for her, if at all possible. They both pretty much then followed the paths that the Princesses had taken to the table just behind where Serena and Darien were still eating in the dining hall.

When she heard them also enter the dining hall, she said to Darien, "Luna and Artemis are both in the dining hall now. I just saw them in another mirror on the ceiling. Mom and Dad should be coming along here anytime in the next hour, if they don't return to them within that time. They're heading toward the Princesses under the table behind us."

Meanwhile, Raye and the other Princesses were beginning to get at least a little impatient. For Serena and Darien were taking a bit more time to eat their breakfast than they'd expected them to. Raye was most especially the most impatient. For she really wanted to spring the apparent surprise on Serena as soon as she could, for the obvious reasons. Raye tried to keep as quiet as she could, of course. But she wasn't entirely successful. For when Destiny accidentally poked her in the ribs with her left foot, she yelped a bit.

Mina told her, as quietly as she could, "Raye, you're going to spoil the surprise, if you're not careful enough. Be quiet, please."

"I would, if I could. But Destiny just poked me in the ribs. I couldn't help yelping."

Finally, Serena and Darien finished their meals. And they then went back to their table, after first having given their dirty dishes, glasses, and utensils to the necessary people elsewhere in the dining hall, of course. And they awaited the Princesses' attempts to surprise them, of course. Especially Serena, who was still pretending she didn't already know what was most likely going on at the current time. This was for all the obvious reasons, of course.

When they'd been there again for at least another five minutes, the Princesses couldn't wait any longer to try to surprise them. And they crawled out from under the table they'd been hiding under with Luna and Artemis. Luna and Artemis soon followed them out from under it. And when they were out from under it, and they'd rejoined the other six Princesses in a small group of felines and humanoids, the group then soon sneaked up to within two feet of where Serena and Darien were seated at the table in front of them.

A minute later, seven voices suddenly shouted, but not too loudly, for the obvious reasons, "Happy tenth birthday, Princess Serena!" Of course, the only one who Darien and Serena didn't hear shout that was Bethany, because Bethany didn't talk like the other girls and the cats normally did, due to her deafness. However, she did sign whatever the other girls and the cats had shouted at Serena, once Serena had acted surprised enough and turned toward her so that she could do that. And Darien couldn't act surprised by any of them at all, for the simple fact that he'd actually known they were then trying to sneak up on them, of course. However, he still stayed rather quiet when the girls who could actually do so here then shouted at Serena at least a little bit, for all the obvious reasons.

Eventually, the seven Princesses adjourned to another part of the Crystal Palace's grounds with both of the cats and Darien. Specifically to a garden on its grounds, and in it were Serenity and Daniel. For they'd both been expecting Serena to show up there for at least an hour or two already that very day. They'd both hoped that she'd actually be there before the morning was no more than half over. But now, by the time that Serena and her nine current companions finally arrived in that very Crystal Palace garden, it actually was now no more than two hours before midday in the Moon City area on the Moon.

* * *

I suppose that I'd better stop here now. For this will be where the next part of the story will take up from, in fact, readers. I hope that you have so far enjoyed the story, if you've gotten this far, and that you'll continue to read it, once I put more of it up here on fanfiction dot net. I don't know how long it'll take me to get each story in this series up fully on fanfiction dot net. But it might take a while for each story in this series, just the same, readers. Until later, then, this is "The Universal Storyteller" signing off here. Happy reading, and God bless, and all that, of course, readers! Over and out! 


	6. Chapter Six

All standard disclaimers that I have already used so far with any of the various stories that I now have on fanfiction dot net will apply. For your information, all of the characters that you may not actually recognize well enough in this story are original characters of mine, unless otherwise stated, in fact. So please don't steal my original characters from this story or any others, for that matter.

Now without further ado, let's get on with the story once again, if that's all right with you here, readers. And I hope that if you've read the first four sections of this story here, that you've enjoyed what you've read of it so far. More will come as time allows, of course. And I really hope to add all of the remaining chapters for this story at least, by the end of April, at the latest. That's so that all of you people on who've followed the story well enough, and often enough, will be able to eventually read the whole story here, of course. Please read, review, and enjoy, if at all possible, quite naturally enough, for all the obvious reasons, readers!

_

* * *

The Beginning of It All_

A _The Chrysanthemum Chronicles_ Series Story

Inside Serena's Chambers In The Crystal Palace

Moon City, Moon Kingdom, Moon

June 30, 986

A little more than seven Terran years later, it was now Serena's tenth birthday. And it was not more than an hour past dawn in the Moon City area on the Moon. Serena was still quite asleep in her bed there. She was now lost in somewhat pleasant dreams at that time. And her curtains were all currently quite closed, so as to hopefully block out the early morning sunshine to a sufficient enough degree to allow her to actually sleep in past dawn in the area of Moon City on the Moon.

Suddenly, within another hour or two, at most, people started to knock on her door quite frequently. So much so, she then couldn't stay asleep easily enough. When that happened, she asked them to leave her alone, quite naturally. But at least one of them could not hear her do so. For one of those people happened to be Bethany, who was still deaf. Even after several people had tried to find a good enough way to cure her deafness in the years since her birth. And another was Destiny, who was still blind. Even after several attempts to try to cure her blindness by any number of people from anywhere in the Moon Kingdom.

Serena soon figured that out, and then she got out of her bed. Then she went to her closet and picked out some clothes for her to wear that day. With that now done here, she then ducked into her bathroom for a while. And she then took a short bath in it for a while. Then she got dressed, left her bathroom, and gathered up a few of her things elsewhere in her bedroom. That done, she then left her chambers for elsewhere in the Crystal Palace.

As she made her way to one of the Crystal Palace's dining halls, she encountered Darien, who'd come from Earth again on a visit to the Moon for at least a few weeks, if not at least a month, within the last week. She said, "Hi, Darien. I hope you know what today is."

"What's today, Serena?" asked Darien. Even though he already knew what it was now, from often being with her during the past ten Terran years of her life.

"It's my birthday, Darien. Don't tell me you didn't know, honey?"

"It is? I thought it was two weeks from now," kidded Darien.

"Yes, Darien, it is. I know you knew it was. You're trying to kid with me, I'm sure."

"Yes, I suppose you're right. Do you think we should go find the others, then, Serena?"

"I suppose we can do that. Did you happen to knock on my door not long ago?"

"No, Serena. How long ago was this?"

"The first knock was about thirty or so minutes ago, I think. And the last knock was about twenty or so minutes ago, if I'm not too mistaken here about such things."

"Then I wasn't anywhere near your Crystal Palace chambers here. I'd just gotten back from a ride on Black Star elsewhere on this Crystal Palace's grounds. And I was taking care of him before I left him again."

Then the two of them walked together to the aforementioned Crystal Palace dining hall. For they were now both quite hungry. They got there within the next fifteen to twenty minutes, and they both soon got themselves at least some food to eat.

While they were in that dining hall, they were eventually joined in it by the Princesses Raye, Amy, Lita, Mina, Destiny, and Bethany. Destiny, who now had long waist-length brown hair, and Bethany, who now had short black hair that was about chin-length on her, were currently both tied together at the wrist, for the obvious reasons. Bethany was leading Destiny into the dining hall, as well. While the rest of the girls were either signing or speaking verbally quite quietly to either Bethany or Destiny, for the obvious reasons.

The girls soon sneaked up on Serena and Darien. For they wanted to surprise them both, if at all possible, but especially Serena, due to the fact that it was now Serena's birthday. Darien turned around briefly, suspecting that several people were trying to sneak up on the two of them. And he spotted Raye and Amy trying to stay out of sight, but not entirely succeeding. When Raye and Amy realized they'd been spotted by him, they signaled to him to ask him to not let Serena know he'd seen them. And they gave him a sort-of-pleading look when they did so. He considered their silent signals and looks for a few seconds, at least. And he then silently nodded his assent to them. But he looked at them as if to say, "Be careful, and try not to startle her too much while she's either eating or drinking, please, Raye and Amy." They nodded back just as silently. And then they both melted back behind a large sculpture near them in the dining hall, so that Serena hopefully wouldn't see them if she turned away from her food briefly.

They lay in wait for a few minutes. And then, when they were sure that Serena wouldn't see them and their companions do so, they came out from behind their hiding places elsewhere in the dining hall. And they crept even closer to her as much as they could with only one try. By the time they'd finished doing so, they were now within ten feet of her in it. Raye and Amy hid behind a wall that jutted about ten feet into the dining hall from the surrounding walls of the dining hall. Mina, Lita, Destiny, and Bethany also hid behind various plants elsewhere in the dining hall. While Raye and Amy hid behind the aforementioned wall in it for a while.

Five minutes later, all six of the Princesses left their various hiding places in the dining hall, and they sneaked up to the table just behind the one that Serena and Darien were now eating at. They all dove as quietly as they could under it, for all the obvious reasons.

While they did so, Serena suddenly got the feeling that she, at least, if not also Darien as well, was being watched. She then asked Darien, "Do you have this strange feeling that one or both of us are being watched right now?"

"Maybe. Why do you say that?"

"It seems like some Princesses I know are trying to sneak up on me. And that they'd like to surprise me while I'm eating here in this dining hall. I know it's my birthday. So I'd not be surprised if that's what may be going on now. I heard a shield fall off a wall near a door of this dining hall. And I believe that Raye may have knocked it off by accident. For I believe I heard her say 'Rats!', when it fell off the wall."

"Are you sure?"

"No, but I still suspect that Amy, Mina, Raye, Lita, and my sisters are trying to sneak up on me right now."

"So what if they are?"

"Then I suppose I have to act as if I don't know that they are, for the obvious reasons. I suspect they're there, Darien. And I think that you do too. But I'd bet if they are, they silently asked you not to tell me so, if you saw them. Which I think you did. And I think that you agreed not to tell me so, if that's actually the case. You're not going to say so, though, I'm sure. Are you?"

"No, I suppose not, Serena."

"I know the game. For I've played it before with any one or all of them. And I'm sure that you have too, whether here or back on Earth, from which you're from, Darien. I'm quite sure that you know the game too, of course, because of that fact, Prince Darien."

"Yes, I suppose you're right, Serena. I'm not going to say, of course, whether or not they're trying to sneak up on you and surprise you, for the obvious reasons. That'd spoil the game, of course, if they're trying to play such a game with you and/or me, Serena. And we can't have that, I'm sure."

"You got that right, Darien. So I'll just have to pretend that I don't know what they may be trying to do to me, if that's the case. I have a feeling that they're right behind me. For I think I see their hair in the mirror on the ceiling just in front of us. Just not their faces, of course. Otherwise, I could be absolutely sure that they're trying to play a game with me, at the least, if not also you, of course."

So Serena acted as if she didn't know what was likely going on, and so did Darien. This, of course, was for all the obvious reasons. While she did so, Luna and Artemis both entered the dining hall together, hoping to find Serena there. This was because they'd not found her anywhere else in the Crystal Palace as of yet.

They spotted her almost immediately. And they sneaked as quietly as they could toward her, not wanting to let her know that they were looking for her, if at all possible. They both pretty much then followed the paths that the Princesses had taken to the table just behind where Serena and Darien were still eating in the dining hall.

When she heard them also enter the dining hall, she said to Darien, "Luna and Artemis are both in the dining hall now. I just saw them in another mirror on the ceiling. Mom and Dad should be coming along here anytime in the next hour, if they don't return to them within that time. They're heading toward the Princesses under the table behind us."

Meanwhile, Raye and the other Princesses were beginning to get at least a little impatient. For Serena and Darien were taking a bit more time to eat their breakfast than they'd expected them to. Raye was most especially the most impatient. For she really wanted to spring the apparent surprise on Serena as soon as she could, for the obvious reasons. Raye tried to keep as quiet as she could, of course. But she wasn't entirely successful. For when Destiny accidentally poked her in the ribs with her left foot, she yelped a bit.

Mina told her, as quietly as she could, "Raye, you're going to spoil the surprise, if you're not careful enough. Be quiet, please."

"I would, if I could. But Destiny just poked me in the ribs. I couldn't help yelping."

Finally, Serena and Darien finished their meals. And they then went back to their table, after first having given their dirty dishes, glasses, and utensils to the necessary people elsewhere in the dining hall, of course. And they awaited the Princesses' attempts to surprise them, of course. Especially Serena, who was still pretending she didn't already know what was most likely going on at the current time. This was for all the obvious reasons, of course.

When they'd been there again for at least another five minutes, the Princesses couldn't wait any longer to try to surprise them. And they crawled out from under the table they'd been hiding under with Luna and Artemis. Luna and Artemis soon followed them out from under it. And when they were out from under it, and they'd rejoined the other six Princesses in a small group of felines and humanoids, the group then soon sneaked up to within two feet of where Serena and Darien were seated at the table in front of them.

A minute later, seven voices suddenly shouted, but not too loudly, for the obvious reasons, "Happy tenth birthday, Princess Serena!" Of course, the only one who Darien and Serena didn't hear shout that was Bethany, because Bethany didn't talk like the other girls and the cats normally did, due to her deafness. However, she did sign whatever the other girls and the cats had shouted at Serena, once Serena had acted surprised enough and turned toward her so that she could do that. And Darien couldn't act surprised by any of them at all, for the simple fact that he'd actually known they were then trying to sneak up on them, of course. However, he still stayed rather quiet when the girls who could actually do so here then shouted at Serena at least a little bit, for all the obvious reasons.

Eventually, the seven Princesses adjourned to another part of the Crystal Palace's grounds with both of the cats and Darien. Specifically to a garden on its grounds, and in it were Serenity and Daniel. For they'd both been expecting Serena to show up there for at least an hour or two already that very day. They'd both hoped that she'd actually be there before the morning was no more than half over. But now, by the time that Serena and her nine current companions finally arrived in that very Crystal Palace garden, it actually was now no more than two hours before midday in the Moon City area on the Moon.

* * *

I suppose that I'd better stop here now. For this will be where the next part of the story will take up from, in fact, readers. I hope that you have so far enjoyed the story, if you've gotten this far, and that you'll continue to read it, once I put more of it up here on fanfiction dot net. I don't know how long it'll take me to get each story in this series up fully on fanfiction dot net. But it might take a while for each story in this series, just the same, readers. Until later, then, this is "The Universal Storyteller" signing off here. Happy reading, and God bless, and all that, of course, readers! Over and out! 


	7. Chapter Seven

All standard disclaimers that I have already used so far with any of the various stories that I now have on fanfiction dot net will apply. For your information, all of the characters that you may not actually recognize well enough in this story are original characters of mine, unless otherwise stated, in fact. So please don't steal my original characters from this story or any others, for that matter.

Now without further ado, let's get on with the story once again, if that's all right with you here, readers. And I hope that if you've read the first six sections of this story here, you've enjoyed what you've read of it so far. More will come as time allows, of course. And I really hope to add all of the remaining chapters for this story at least, by the end of April, at the latest. That's so that all of you people on who've followed the story well enough, and often enough, will be able to eventually read the whole story here, of course. Please read, review, and enjoy, if at all possible, quite naturally enough, for all the obvious reasons, readers!

_

* * *

The Beginning of It All_

A _The Chrysanthemum Chronicles_ Series Story

An Underground Cavern Below The Crystal Palace

Moon City, Moon Kingdom, Moon

June 30, 986

Eventually, Sentinel Serenity brought everybody who was currently with her to the aforementioned underground cavern. And she allowed them to rest for a little while, for the obvious reasons. This she did, as she asked Luna and Artemis to watch her Junior Sailor Scouts for a brief time. This was because she wanted to get some food for them in a nearby nook of that underground cavern. And she couldn't get it while they were with her. For she also had to pick up a few other things on the way to that nook while she was getting food for her Junior Sailor Scouts. That was because those other things she had to get were between where she and her charges now were and the nook she'd be getting the food for them from. Those other things she had to get would normally allow them all to train in secret quite far away from the Moon City area, whenever they were able to do so. And those things were often used to make sure, as much as it was ever possible, that no unauthorized person would be able to raid the Moon Kingdom's emergency stores of food, clothing, and medical supplies. And somehow do so easily enough without also significantly alerting certain governmental officials from any or all of its various governments of their various raiding activities. Especially when it came to alerting Queen Serenity, for the obvious reasons. Due to her position as the Moon Kingdom's Queen, she periodically had to check each store of emergency supplies of food, clothing, and numerous medical-related items, at least on the Moon, if not elsewhere in the Moon Kingdom, whenever possible. That was according to the Moon Kingdom's established laws, for the obvious reasons. But this wasn't one of those times where she'd have to check at least one of her Moon Kingdom's emergency storage areas. Instead, she'd just get a few things for each of the Junior Sailor Scouts to use before she got some food for them to consume over the next few hours or so, at most.

So she eventually got a few things from a nook near the one where she'd be getting the aforementioned food for her Junior Sailor Scouts and her cats. She did this once Luna and Artemis had agreed to watch the Junior Sailor Scouts until she returned to them again in the underground cavern. Two of those things were sacks that she tied to her belt with jungle vines. Then she put several non-food items in one of those sacks. That done, she then went to another nearby nook. And she got enough food for all of them to bring with them while they were otherwise occupied elsewhere on the Moon. Of course, she put all that food in the other sack on her belt.

Then, when both sacks were full enough, she tied them both up. And she then returned to where the cats and the Junior Sailor Scouts were waiting for her to come back to them. That done, she then said, "Junior Sailor Jupiter, I'm giving you a sack here. And I'd like you to carry it until further notice. It contains food items that we'll be consuming periodically over at least the next few hours or so, if not longer than that, I believe. You're not to let Junior Sailor Moon get into it until I say otherwise. And you aren't to raid it either for at least that long. I'll carry the other sack that you all now are seeing me with here."

"Understood, Sentinel Serenity."

"Junior Sailor Moon, you aren't to get into the sack that Junior Sailor Jupiter will be carrying until I say otherwise. Otherwise, there'll be consequences you'll have to face later, after we get back from whatever we're going to be doing in very short order."

Sentinel Serenity then handed Junior Sailor Jupiter the sack of food items. And then she led everyone else to the middle of the part of the underground cavern they were now in, after handing them each a certain device from the sack she kept in her possession. Which meant everyone then entered a depression in the middle of that part of the underground cavern about forty or so feet in diameter, at the very least, with somewhat gently sloping sides. When they got there, Serenity had each of them stand on top of a certain large tile in that depression which had symbols painted on it, as appropriate for each of them. Symbols that normally would appear on their foreheads, if it was appropriate for any and/or all of them at all, during certain periods of great stress for any or all of them, most likely, in the future. That was, of course, if each or all of them survived long enough for each or all of them to do so at least once in the future. And that was also if their symbols weren't always on their foreheads, of course, as Artemis and Luna's always were.

As they did so, she stood on the centermost and largest tile in the middle of the depression. She was joined there almost immediately by Junior Sailor Moon and both cats. That meant that the other Junior Sailor Scouts each took one of the surrounding tiles in the depression everybody was now in. There were several large tiles inside the depression currently in question. But only six of them were occupied by other Junior Sailor Scouts, for the obvious reasons. Four of those tiles had the symbols for the planets of Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. But due to the current absence of certain Sailor Scouts from those four planets, they were currently unoccupied by other Sailor Scouts.

Junior Sailor Mercury took the tile that had the symbol for the planet of Mercury on it. While each of the other three main members of Princess Serena's royal Court took the tiles that were appropriate for them to take in that depression. That then left Junior Sailor Corona to take the tile that had the symbol for a sun's corona on it, and Junior Sailor Eclipse to take the symbol for an eclipse on it, for the obvious reasons, of course.

Then Sentinel Serenity called out, "Moon Star Web Power," in very short order, in fact. Which then made ropes appear between the belts of all seven Junior Sailor Scouts and herself. One rope appeared between her and each of the Junior Sailor Scouts now with her and her cats. She was now in the approximate center of the group of eight humanoids in the depression when those ropes appeared between her and each of them. However, there were no ropes running between her Junior Sailor Scouts, so as not to unnecessarily tangle the existing ropes between herself and them, if it could possibly be avoided at all, for the obvious reasons.

That done, she then said, "Prepare to depart this cavern. When I tell you to, each of you is to say her Junior Sailor Scout name, and then the words 'Sailor Teleport.' After which we'll all teleport almost immediately to another place I recently programmed into the devices that I just provided you with moments ago. When I say, 'Sentinel Serenity, Sailor Teleport,' for the second time, we'll leave this cavern behind for at least a while."

So each of her Junior Sailor Scouts did as she told them to do. Then she said, "Sentinel Serenity, Sailor Teleport," for the first time. Then each of the other Junior Sailor Scouts said exactly what she wanted them to say, until it was time for her to say her current Sailor Teleport phrase again for the second time.

She then said that phrase again, of course. And that then made everyone depart the aforementioned cavern that was still below the Crystal Palace in Moon City for another location on the other side of the Moon. It only took about ten or so seconds for them all to bounce off the Moon's primary sun shield onto a certain mirror. Which then bounced them all off a space station currently above the Moon's North Pole, and past where the terminator line would actually be for the Moon if such a shield wasn't currently in use here. They all then bounced off another mirror easily enough here. And it then made them all bounce up to a communications/teleportation satellite, rather briefly, before it finally deposited them all in the place that Sentinel Serenity had just told Luna, Artemis, and all seven of her Junior Sailor Scouts about not long before.

It then took each of them at least a minute to get their bearings again after the six-step teleportation process between Moon City and the place they all were together in now. Which, as a matter of fact, was the Rainbow Springs Palace in Rainbow Springs. Rainbow Springs was the sixteenth-largest town on the opposite side of the Moon from Moon City in the Moon Kingdom. And deep in the heart of the Rainbow Springs Palace was one of the main training centers for Sailor Scouts on the Moon. But this training center was a very secret one. It was rarely spoken of anywhere in the Moon Kingdom. Especially off the Moon, of course. It might be spoken of by people on the Moon, of course. But it was extremely rare, if ever at all, for it to be spoken of by people who weren't on the Moon, for all the obvious reasons.

Only a very select few in the entire Moon Kingdom ever even knew of that training center. And they were always, or almost always, of royal blood of any known variety from anywhere in the entire Moon Kingdom. To this point, none of the current Princesses had ever actually been in the Rainbow Springs Palace before, for all the obvious reasons. Sentinel Serenity had, of course, and so had Luna and Artemis. For when she was still Princess Serenity, they'd been sent there to help her train as a Sailor Scout. A Sailor Scout of a different variety than Serena, Amy, Raye, Lita, Mina, Destiny, and Bethany were now, as a matter of fact. She'd spent at least a year there training as a Sailor Scout, if not longer, until just before her parents had left the Moon. And she'd done it until just before her parents had left the Moon behind for the last time in their own mortal lives prior to their quite unfortunate deaths with various other people and animals from all over the Moon Kingdom. Just before her parents left the Moon, she left the Rainbow Springs Palace behind after having received as much training as a Sailor Scout in its secret training center as she could get there. Then she'd taken a ship between Rainbow Springs and Moon City back to Moon City. She'd been able to spend two Terran weeks or so more with her parents before they left the Moon for the last time in their respective mortal lives with many other people and many animals from all over the Moon Kingdom. They then left her in charge of things on the Moon, hoping they'd eventually be able to run things again on it. But their unexpected deaths made that quite impossible, for the obvious reasons.

As soon as Serenity had finally received the news of her parents' unplanned demise, she realized her childhood had just ended, if it hadn't already. And she quite soon afterward succeeded to the Moon Kingdom's throne, for the obvious reasons. She'd ruled the Moon Kingdom as wisely as she possibly could ever since, while often heeding the advice of any number of her various advisors. No matter who they were, for all the obvious reasons, of course.

Ever since leaving it just before her parents' unfortunate deaths several years before, she'd only rarely been back at the Rainbow Springs Training Center in the Rainbow Springs Palace, for the obvious reasons. Basically only whenever at least one Sailor Scout of any kind was about to leave it behind, in fact. Besides her, and the seven Princesses now with her, there were at least four to eight other Sailor Scouts that had been initiated as such and who were currently serving as such anywhere in the known Universe. This, of course, was for all the obvious reasons. And four of them, of course, were currently not in the Milky Way Galaxy's Sol system. That was due to Queen Serenity's having sent them on a mission to another solar system in it, for reasons that were likely too numerous to mention in complete enough detail, at least as of the current time.

The four Sailor Scouts that were away on a mission to another Milky Way Galaxy solar system were the Sailor Scouts Saturn Alpha, Uranus Alpha, Neptune Alpha, and Pluto Alpha. And they were currently away from their planets on that mission. Which meant that their nearest sisters and/or cousins were, most likely, now having to try to protect their respective planets from unnecessary harm, for the obvious reasons, while they were still away from them. Their substitutes were often known, whenever they were in their respective Sailor Scout states of any kind, as either Saturn Beta, Uranus Beta, Neptune Beta, or Pluto Beta, of course.

And due to their current duties as temporary protectors of their respective planets, they weren't currently able to do much as temporary members of Serena's Court in the Moon Kingdom. Their older sisters or cousins had made them at least temporary, if not permanent, members of Serena's court just a while before their own departure on the aforementioned mission Serenity had given them. And when Saturn Alpha, Uranus Alpha, Neptune Alpha, and Pluto Alpha had all left the Moon to carry out their new mission, they'd also had to begin protecting each of their respective planets, once they were each close enough to them to do so.

One at a time, each of the Beta-level Scouts had separated from everyone else with them. And they'd begun protecting their respective planets. The last of them to separate from their planet's Alpha-level Scout had been Sailor Pluto Beta, for the obvious reasons. Hours later, all four of those Alpha Scouts had then left the Milky Way Galaxy's very own Sol System. And they did that so they could carry out their mission to another solar system in it that Queen Serenity had recently given them, to the best of their respective abilities, of course.

It'd been quite some time since they'd done so. And now Sentinel Serenity was about to begin training her Junior Sailor Scouts in the area of the Rainbow Springs Palace, with some help from both cats, for at least a little while. But she'd not always be around to help them train as Sailor Scouts, obviously enough. She'd actually train with all of them periodically, if at all possible. But they'd often still have to train themselves as Sailor Scouts when she wasn't actually with them in the area of the Rainbow Springs Palace. Whenever that was the case, the cats, at least, would be with them, for the obvious reasons.

Sentinel Serenity said, "Moon, Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Venus, Corona, and Eclipse, the cats and I often will be training you here in this palace of our Moon Kingdom on the Moon. I won't always be with you all, naturally enough. Other Sailor Scouts will periodically check in on you whenever I'm not with you. This place will be where you'll all do the majority of your training time as Junior Sailor Scouts. I've already assigned different chambers to each of you here in this palace. Whenever you're in residence here, you'll often be using them for whatever purposes they need to be used for, if you can't choose how else to use them as well."

Junior Sailor Moon asked, "You mean that we're going to be spending most of our time from now on here, at least for a while?"

"Yes, I do. That is, if you aren't needed on the other side of the Moon, or elsewhere in the known Universe, of course, Junior Sailor Moon."

"Does Darien already know about this place, Mother?"

"No. And I don't intend to let him know about it, if I don't have to. The same thing's true of your father, as well. He doesn't intend to let Darien know of it either, if he can possibly avoid it."

"If we're here, then, how will we know whenever Darien comes back to the Moon?" This question was from Junior Sailor Mercury, in fact.

"There'll possibly be a visit from me or at least one other Sailor Scout to let you know. Then you girls are to meet whoever comes here to let you know he's back on the Moon again. Whether they happen to be me or not, you're to meet them as each such situation will require you all to meet them here at this palace of ours."

Junior Sailor Mars asked, "Will we be able to come back to the other side of the Moon whenever we want?"

"Only under certain conditions as I'll tell all of you girls as I bring you all to your respective chambers here in this palace for the first time, Junior Sailor Mars. At least whenever you seven girls are actually training here in this palace. And whenever I'm not with you in actual reality. That is, of course, for all the obvious reasons here."

Junior Sailor Jupiter then asked, "If we're going to be training here, then I suppose we'd all better familiarize ourselves with all the weapons and items that we'll have at our respective disposals here, if we possibly can, Sentinel Serenity. Would you show us where they're all being kept here in this palace?"

"You have some of those things near you right now, Junior Sailor Jupiter. And so do I, but I'll still show you all where everything else is being kept here in this particular palace. I'll do this just so that you can all actually use those things whenever the need arises during times that I'm actually not with you all, of course. After I do so, I'll then bring you all to your respective chambers here, for all the obvious reasons."

"Then I expect that you'll be leaving us not long afterward, Sentinel Serenity?"

"Not for a few hours, at least, Junior Sailor Venus. This, of course, is for all the obvious reasons."

Then Sentinel Serenity began giving them all a grand tour of the Rainbow Springs Palace. And she also showed them all where everything was in it. Even where their respective chambers were in it, of course. With that then done, she soon brought them all to a large courtyard that was about 240 feet by roughly 200 feet in size. Which worked out to a size of about 48,000 square feet, give or take a few hundred or few thousand square feet, at most. This would most likely be where they'd do the majority of their training whenever they were in residence anywhere on the Rainbow Springs Palace's grounds, if at all possible, in fact.

With that now done, she then began distributing certain items to each of them, before she went to the nearest wall, and she found a barely-accessible, yet quite-hidden, panel behind several bricks. She then touched a shield on one of those bricks. And those bricks slid into a nearby recess for a brief time. That done, she began touching certain areas of that panel, so that a secret door would soon appear near her in that wall. Then she and her nine companions saw about six dozen large bricks slide to one side in that wall. When those bricks did so, a secret door appeared behind where those bricks had been. She then went to that door, and opened it. Then she entered a secret passageway behind it, and began retrieving some robots that she and a number of former rulers of the Moon Kingdom had most likely programmed with the necessary computer programs at least a few, if not many, long years before.

These robots, and many others, would serve as training devices of at least one sort for each and every single Junior Sailor Scout that'd now be residing anywhere at all in the Rainbow Springs Palace. At least whenever the Junior Sailor Scouts were in residence there, of course. Each robot that they'd be using to train themselves as Sailor Scouts, at least whenever they were in the Rainbow Springs Palace and on its grounds, would be able to be retrieved as Sentinel Serenity was now doing. Each robot, at least whenever it was active, and whenever it was in existence, would have at its very own disposal certain weapons, powers, and items. Not to mention an often very highly-advanced artificial intelligence that they'd have to find some way to defeat whenever they trained with them. And whenever one of those robots was active, the Junior Sailor Scouts would all have to be on their guards, for the obvious reasons. They'd often be quite powerful and intelligent, most likely. Which would often mean that they'd not easily fall to any or all of the Junior Sailor Scouts' various attacks and/or defenses, for all the obvious reasons. And while they were active, they might often surprise the Junior Sailor Scouts, if they weren't on their guards enough, of course. How they might do that, the Junior Sailor Scouts didn't yet know, if they ever would. Some robots, though, might just prove to be so tough to beat, that in order to render them inactive, they'd have to be destroyed by the attack of at least one, if not more, of the Junior Sailor Scouts. That might be the case so that the future Sailor Scouts would hopefully be able to fight against their yet-unknown enemy someday yet in the future. And all such robots that'd have to be destroyed in order to render them inactive had most likely been programmed long before Moon Princess Serena had ever been born on the Moon roughly ten years before the current date.

But none of those robots that'd actually have to be destroyed to render them inactive were among the robots that Sentinel Serenity was now retrieving from the aforementioned secret passageway. Sentinel Serenity then brought those robots to certain positions in the courtyard currently in question. And she then went back to where she'd been touching certain areas of the aforementioned panel. She touched a few more areas on that particular panel. And she then watched as each of the robots she'd just retrieved became active. When all of those robots were active and working well enough for her to be satisfied with them at the current time, she went to the door in front of the secret passageway, and closed it. Then she went back to her panel again, and made the necessary bricks come back in front of that door. Then she stepped away from the panel in question. And everyone then watched the bricks that'd actually been in front of it slide back into place to hide it again as much as possible.

She had each of the Junior Sailor Scouts spread out in the courtyard, for the obvious reasons. She then said, "Junior Sailor Scouts, prepare to engage these robots. Act as if they're your enemies. Use the things that I've just given you to fight them. They'll also help you call forth your various powers, as those certain powers might be for each of you. I'll watch you all engage them, of course. And if you still happen to need my help with them all here, I'll then give it to you. But they'll also be under my control, at the very same time."

Then Sentinel Serenity went to a nearby waist-high pillar that had a recess in its top for a suitably-sized console. This pillar was about four feet thick, and the console was in the middle of the recess in question. This console was large enough to allow Sentinel Serenity to control all seven of those robots now with her, the Junior Sailor Scouts, and the cats, in the aforementioned courtyard of the Rainbow Springs Palace. She then pressed a few areas on that console. And she made the robots begin to fight her Junior Sailor Scouts, as she also had those Junior Sailor Scouts of hers engage them.

Corona soon shouted out, "Corona Ring Blast." Which then made several large rings fly from her fingers toward one of the robots. These rings looked almost like coronas that'd appear during periods where a solar eclipse was in progress in a solar system. Especially when it came to solar systems with inhabited planets in it. The robot that she sent those particular Corona Rings toward hastily sent Ice Bolts her way, trying to stop her from sending any more of those Corona Rings of hers toward it. Corona then quite adeptly darted to one side, just barely in time to keep herself from then being frozen in place exactly where she'd been not more than a few seconds before.

Mars then used a Fire Catapult to attack one of the robots now opposing the Junior Sailor Scouts. She'd just loaded it with Fireballs she'd gotten with the help of the device that Sentinel Serenity had just given her. Which was a mirror of sorts, by the way. She'd put a torch near that mirror of sorts, and it had loaded the mirror with some Fireballs, as she'd opened a panel in the side of the torch. She'd opened that panel, and she'd then taken out a pair of gloves. A pair of gloves that were, as a matter of fact, in her current size. That done, she'd then slid that panel closed again. Then she'd put the torch back where she'd gotten it from. That was just before she'd quickly loaded the aforementioned Fireballs into that Fire Catapult two at a time with her hands. She'd put thirty Fireballs in her Fire Catapult just before firing it for the first time. And each of these Fireballs was about the size of a Terran watermelon.

About half of those Fireballs then landed within a yard of the robot she'd sent them toward, with three of them landing on that robot. But she only was able to damage it slightly with her Fireballs. For Sentinel Serenity had made sure that she'd not been able to be more accurate with them, for the obvious reasons.

For at least the next few hours, then, each of the seven Junior Sailor Scouts fought with all seven of the robots now with them, Sentinel Serenity, and the cats, for the obvious reasons. They didn't usually switch off between different robots, for the simple reason that the majority of the robots were immune to certain attacks from various Junior Sailor Scouts. Five robots were normally immune to any of the attacks from each of the Junior Sailor Scouts, depending on which Junior Sailor Scout or Junior Sailor Scouts were attacking them, at a particular time, for reasons too numerous to mention at the current time. Especially when the Junior Sailor Scouts whose attacks they weren't immune against weren't working together against them. Each Junior Sailor Scout was often able to damage two of the robots with her attacks. While she wasn't often able to do the same with the other five robots. This, of course, was for all the obvious reasons.

Eventually, Sentinel Serenity felt that each of her Junior Sailor Scouts had trained enough for at least a little while. And she then sent some remote commands to each of the robots with them, so that they'd become inactive again. None of the robots had been destroyed by any of the Junior Sailor Scouts. Which made Sentinel Serenity quite happy, for the obvious reasons. However, a number of those robots had been at least somewhat, if not heavily, damaged by various attacks from any or all of the Junior Sailor Scouts, of course. Not too heavily as to not allow each of the robots to return to where she'd placed each of them in the courtyard with her, the cats, and all seven of her Junior Sailor Scouts, though. Which was quite fortunate, of course. As Serenity would likely tell all of her current companions in that courtyard later on.

Then she began gathering up each of those robots one at a time. And she began putting them away, for the obvious reasons. It took her about ten or so minutes to do so. And then after she did so, she had her current companions follow her to another part of the Rainbow Springs Palace. That was once all of her Junior Sailor Scouts had transformed back into their normal states of being, followed almost immediately by her, of course.

There, she soon allowed them to eat some of the food that she'd had Junior Sailor Jupiter take care of, so that they'd not have to go to bed hungry, of course. As they ate, she also did so. And they did so for at least thirty minutes, if not longer.

After all of them had eaten to their hearts' content, Queen Serenity then let them all get used to being in the Rainbow Springs Palace while they weren't currently in their respective Sailor Scout states of being. Even Destiny and Bethany, of course. That was if they wanted to do so at all after they'd eaten enough food to satisfy all their respective appetites for the same. Most especially Moon Princess Serena, for the obvious reasons.

Of course, once they'd transformed back out of their respective Sailor Scout states, Destiny was again blind, and Bethany was again deaf. So they were both soon escorted elsewhere in the palace as they also went to that place where Serenity and her other companions were going in it after the Princesses' first-ever training session as Junior Sailor Scouts. Especially Destiny, for the obvious reasons. Bethany followed the permanent members of Serena's Court that were with Serena, her mother Queen Serenity, and the cats. And she did this as she also guided Destiny to that place. Mainly by using a cord that ran between one of her wrists and one of Destiny's wrists, if not by doing so in other ways as well.

When everyone was finally done eating and drinking here, Serenity then let them all leave her alone where they'd eaten in the palace. Which happened to be a somewhat large dining hall in it. And she then let them do whatever they wanted to do in it. Within reason, of course.

Each of the Princesses then left her alone in it, one at a time. Except for Bethany and Destiny, for all the obvious reasons. Queen Serenity then asked Bethany to make sure that Destiny got back to her own chambers safely enough, before she went to her own. Of course, Bethany quite readily agreed to do so. And then she and Destiny soon left Serenity alone with Luna and Artemis.

Several minutes later, then, Bethany brought Destiny to her new Rainbow Springs Palace chambers, and soon brought her to her new bed in it. She spent about the next ten minutes taking care of Destiny as best as she could, before she then left Destiny alone in her own chambers.

Princess Bethany eventually untied the cord from her wrist that connected her to Princess Destiny, before she left her older sister alone again. Then she silently went to her own chambers for a while. And she began getting herself settled down to at least some degree in them.

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I suppose that I'd better stop here now. For this will be where the next part of the story will take up from, in fact, readers. I hope that you have so far enjoyed the story, if you've gotten this far, and that you'll continue to read it, once I put more of it up here on fanfiction dot net. I don't know how long it'll take me to get each story in this series up fully on fanfiction dot net. But it might take a while for each story in this series, just the same, readers. Until later, then, this is "The Universal Storyteller" signing off here. Happy reading, and God bless, and all that, of course, readers! Over and out! 


	8. Chapter Eight

All standard disclaimers that I have already used so far with any of the various stories that I now have on fanfiction dot net will apply. For your information, all of the characters that you may not actually recognize well enough in this story are original characters of mine, unless otherwise stated, in fact. So please don't steal my original characters from this story or any others, for that matter.

Now without further ado, let's get on with the story once again, if that's all right with you here, readers. And I hope that if you've read the first seven sections of this story here, you've enjoyed what you've read of it so far. More will come as time allows, of course. And I really hope to add all of the remaining chapters for this story at least, by the end of April, at the latest. That's so that all of you people on who've followed the story well enough, and often enough, will be able to eventually read the whole story here, of course. Please read, review, and enjoy, if at all possible, quite naturally enough, for all the obvious reasons, readers!

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The Beginning of It All_

A _The Chrysanthemum Chronicles_ Series Story

Inside Serena's Chambers In The Rainbow Springs Palace

Rainbow Springs, Moon Kingdom, Moon

June 30, 986 - July 1, 986

About two hours later, Serena then went to find each of the other six Princesses who were still in the Rainbow Springs Palace with her, Queen Serenity, and the cats. And she did this at a time which would be about an hour before midnight Moon City time, if they were on the other side of the Moon from the one that they were on now, in fact. She first came to Bethany's chambers, and then to Destiny's. After stopping off at Destiny's chambers, she then went, in turn, to the chambers of Mina, Lita, Raye, and Amy. Then she went to where Queen Serenity had told her to look first, which was Queen Serenity's old chambers from her own time that she'd spent training as a Sailor Scout. She eventually found her mother there. And she did so while her mother was currently chatting with Luna and Artemis about various things of varying importance to any or all three of them. Meaning Luna, Artemis, and/or Queen Serenity, of course.

She was the only one of the Princesses to enter her mother's old chambers. And only when her mother said that she could do so. When she entered it, her mother was walking toward the door with a hairbrush. For she had a feeling that Serena would eventually want to use it before she retired for the night, and if Serena hadn't been able to find one yet to use as she got ready for bed later on.

Serenity said, "Hello, Serena. I suppose you'd like to go back to the Crystal Palace for a while before you go to bed, so that you can attend the ball there tonight for a while. And so that you can see Darien again before you go to bed here for the rest of it."

"Yes, Mom, as a matter of fact, I do want to go back there for a while. Do you think that we can do that?"

"I'm sorry, Serena. I can't let you go back there right now. It's just too risky, at the current time. However, I'll send him a message from you via carrier pigeon, if you want me to."

"Can't we use the Sailor Teleport Power to go back there?" Serena was wondering just how often she and others might be able to do that whenever they were in residence at the Rainbow Springs Palace, in fact.

"No, I'm afraid not. If we use it too frequently, its range is often quite significantly reduced from the normal maximum teleportation distance. I'll explain why in more detail some other time. And we'd all have to use it to get us all there with it right now. We only have enough power currently at our disposal to possibly send two of us, if even that many of us, there in such a manner. Not all ten of us. So we can't, at least not at the current time."

"Then how will you leave here?"

"I'll be able to go back alone. But if I go, I may only be able to go with one other person at the current time. And if I go, I'm not taking you, for you're not strong enough to go with me at the current time. I might be able to take Lita, but not you. If I take her, though, I won't be able to send her back here in like manner at the current time. You, Raye, Amy, Destiny, Bethany, and Mina, will, in any case, have to stay here. For none of you are strong enough for me to go back to Moon City with you, and for me to send you back here, at least not at the current time." She was quite sure of that fact, for that matter, by the way.

"Understood. Then I suppose that Lita will have to stay here as well. For I don't want to have to worry so much about Raye picking on me, for the obvious reasons, Mother."

"I can take him a message directly, or I can send it to him via carrier pigeon. Whichever you prefer."

"How soon?"

"Thirty minutes, minimum."

"All right. Will I be able to see the fireworks over the Crystal Palace, as well, before you leave, then, Mom?"

"I suppose so. You'll actually have to wear a pair of special sunglasses, in order to see them, for all the obvious reasons. The Sun's especially bright today here, Serena. I can have the necessary shields darken the skies above this palace a bit, if you want me to. But you'll still have to wear those special sunglasses, or you might eventually become as blind as Destiny normally is."

"Please, Mom, do what you have to, then. For I really do want to see them over the Crystal Palace, if I can't actually be there myself to see them." Serena was quite sure about that at the current time in her life, no matter what, by the way.

"Very well, Serena. You'll also want this hairbrush later, I think. Do you have some special sunglasses you can use when you look out your windows at the fireworks in a bit?" Queen Serenity was quite curious about that fact here, for she didn't yet know if Serena actually had any such things available to her at the current time.

"As a matter of fact, I do have some near my new bed, Mom."

"Go back to your chambers with the other girls, Luna, and Artemis. While I take care of the shields, you girls should all put on your special sunglasses. Even Destiny, for the Sun may possibly affect all her current or future powers as a Sailor Scout if she doesn't. And you can also write your message for Darien back in Moon City. I'll be at your new chambers just as soon as I can, after I take care of the required shields, Serena."

So Serena soon did as her mother wanted her to do. And as she did so, Luna and Artemis left Serenity alone in her old Rainbow Springs Palace chambers. On the way back to Serena's chambers in it, everyone, led by Serena, of course, eventually stopped off at each of the other Princesses' chambers in it. This was so that if each of them didn't already have their special sunglasses in their possession at the current time, they could each pick them up, for the obvious reasons. And then they all soon arrived back in Serena's Rainbow Springs Palace chambers.

Serena then hurried over to a desk in her new chambers there. And as soon as Raye brought her some paint and a scroll to use while she composed her message to Darien, she began writing a message to him. She said only as much as her mother said she could tell him in her message, for the obvious reasons, by the time that her mother finally arrived at her chambers as well. And when her mother arrived at her chambers, she signed the message almost immediately, after her mother had looked it over and approved what Serena had written to him here. This, of course, was for all the obvious reasons, as well.

That done, she then rolled up the scroll currently in question. And she then handed it directly to her mother, so that she could bring it to Darien by herself. That done, Serena and all nine of her current companions then put on their special sunglasses, if they'd not already done so, for the obvious reasons. Then they looked out Serena's nearest window in which they'd be able to see the fireworks over the Crystal Palace of Moon City on the other side of the Moon. And they watched the fireworks until they ended about an hour or two after what would be midnight back in Moon City. By the time that they ended, it was now about an hour or two past midday on June 30, 986, in Rainbow Springs on the Moon. But all ten of them were still on Moon City local time. For they'd not yet adjusted to Rainbow Springs local time on the other side of the Moon from Moon City.

After the aforementioned fireworks finally ended, Serenity then said not long afterward, "Serena, I have to return to Moon City now, for the obvious reasons. I've made it possible for you all to contact me, in case of emergency. And vice versa, while you're here, whenever the need arises, and the situation permits either you or me to do so."

"I love you, Mom. Please tell Dad I love him too, okay?"

"Yes, Serena. Luna and Artemis, I'm putting you in charge of all the Princesses here right now with us. I expect you to train them all as best as you can whenever I'm not with you. I trust you both very much. And please try to make sure that I'll be very proud of them as long as they're all Sailor Scouts, if at all possible."

"Understood, Niti," said Luna.

"Serena, please take care of all your Court's members who are currently here with you now, if you possibly can. Even Destiny and Bethany, of course. And even if you happen to have some disagreements with them, please try to do that for me, Serena. I'll be very happy with you, if you try to do that for me, at the very least." Serenity then said her good-byes to all of the Princesses, even Serena, if she'd not already done so. Then she soon powered herself up into her Sailor Scout status as Sentinel Serenity again, so that she could teleport herself back to Moon City, as planned, for the obvious reasons.

Seconds later, after realizing that nobody currently with her in Serena's Rainbow Springs Palace chambers had anything more to say to her, she then said her Sailor Teleport phrase twice. And she soon vanished from their sight, so that she could go back to Moon City, as planned. Everyone else watched her go. And after she was no longer visible to them, Serena said, "I hope she gets back there safely enough, Raye." Serena was quite concerned about that fact here, for the simple reason that she was afraid something quite bad might happen to her mother before the end of the Silver Millennium was due to come to the Moon Kingdom, of course.

"So do I, Serena. So do I. I don't think any of us want to lose your mother for quite some time yet, for the obvious reasons. That is, of course, if we don't have to, Serena."

"What's that supposed to mean, Raye?"

"Are you ready yet to be Queen of the Moon Kingdom?"

"No, I don't think so."

"Exactly my point, Serena. If you're not ready to be Queen of the Moon Kingdom, Serena, then I really don't think any of us want to lose your mother for quite some time yet, for the obvious reasons. That is, if we don't absolutely have to do so, of course."

"Understood." Then the Princesses spent only a bit more time with each other before Serena said that she wanted to retire soon for at least a while. She then had Raye make sure that both Destiny and Bethany got back to their respective chambers, before she returned to her own again, of course. Then she sent all the other Princesses out of her new Rainbow Springs Palace chambers in Rainbow Springs on the Moon. And she sent Artemis out of them as well, for the obvious reasons. She only let Luna stay in her chambers with her, after all her other current companions had left them both alone in it again. But only for a while, for Luna eventually wanted to go to sleep elsewhere in Serena's new Rainbow Springs Palace chambers here. As soon as Serena let her do so, Luna hopped up on a chair somewhere in them, and she went to sleep there in very short order.

Then Serena began to get herself ready for bed. And as she did so, she also brushed her own hair quite a bit. As she got herself ready for bed, she took a short bath. Then she eventually dressed herself in a nearly-floor-length nightgown. Then she brushed out her hair, just before she closed her windows and the curtains near them, so that the Sun wouldn't shine too brightly in them as she slept in her new bed. That done, she then began blowing out various candles all over her new chambers, until she was sitting on her new bed. She then kicked off her new slippers, and climbed into her new bed moments after sitting down on it. She plumped up her pillows just as she'd often like them whenever she used at least one pillow while sleeping in one of her beds that were in various Moon Kingdom Palaces all over the Moon.

Moments after she did that, she was then asleep again, and soon was lost in somewhat peaceful dreams, as she slept in that bed for at least six to ten Terran hours. She only woke up again when the Sun began to set near the Rainbow Springs Palace on the Moon, and when the Earth began to rise near it. Even though the Earth itself was still below the horizon in the area of Rainbow Springs, at least as of the current time, she could still tell that it was beginning to rise near and in it. For obvious signs of somewhat imminent nightfall were beginning to appear in the lunar sky. Such as the stars, for instance. Including, of course, Polaris, for the obvious reasons, which was currently the North Star for all of the known inhabitants of Earth. That was at least as far as she knew about Polaris and its current relation to Earth and to Earth's skies, of course. And then she spent most of at least the next few hours with her sisters and Luna, at the very least. If not also with Artemis and the other four Princesses now with her, Destiny, Bethany, and Luna anywhere in the Rainbow Springs Palace.

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I suppose that I'd better stop here now. For this will be where the next part of the story will take up from, in fact, readers. I hope that you have so far enjoyed the story, if you've gotten this far, and that you'll continue to read it, once I put more of it up here on fanfiction dot net. I don't know how long it'll take me to get each story in this series up fully on fanfiction dot net. But it might take a while for each story in this series, just the same, readers. Until later, then, this is "The Universal Storyteller" signing off here. Happy reading, and God bless, and all that, of course, readers! Over and out! 


	9. Chapter Nine

All standard disclaimers that I have already used so far with any of the various stories that I now have on fanfiction dot net will apply. For your information, all of the characters that you may not actually recognize well enough in this story are original characters of mine, unless otherwise stated, in fact. So please don't steal my original characters from this story or any others, for that matter.

Now without further ado, let's get on with the story once again, if that's all right with you here, readers. And I hope that if you've read the first eight sections of this story here, you've enjoyed what you've read of it so far. More will come as time allows, of course. And I really hope to add all of the remaining chapters for this story at least, by the end of April, at the latest. That's so that all of you people on who've followed the story well enough, and often enough, will be able to eventually read the whole story here, of course. Please read, review, and enjoy, if at all possible, quite naturally enough, for all the obvious reasons, readers!

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The Beginning of It All_

A _The Chrysanthemum Chronicles_ Series Story

In The South Courtyard Of The Rainbow Springs Palace

Rainbow Springs, Moon Kingdom, Moon

July 24, 986 - July 25, 986

About three weeks or so later, all seven of the Princesses had quite significantly adjusted to life in the Rainbow Springs Palace. True, they all would've naturally preferred to actually be on the other side of the Moon, for the obvious reasons. But they realized that wasn't currently possible for any or all of them, because of why they were currently on the side of the Moon that they were all now on.

In the meantime, Luna and Artemis had begun to train them all up as best as they could in Queen Serenity's current absence from them. Even Destiny and Bethany, of course. And they often helped the Princesses train as Junior Sailor Scouts by controlling any number of the robots that were currently at their disposal.

By this time, the Princesses had begun to call a number of the robots "Drones." For a lot of the robots often acted in a manner not too different from how certain Terran insects, especially insects that were of the bee varieties, often acted around others of their respective species of insects. Several of the robots even seemed to act as if their artificial intelligences were possibly part of a hive mind of some sort. Which sometimes made it very hard, at certain times, for the Junior Sailor Scouts to defeat them in any number of engagements, whenever they were having a training session in the Rainbow Springs Palace's South Courtyard in Rainbow Springs on the Moon.

The Junior Sailor Scouts now usually trained four or five days a week. And they usually spent the remainder of the week doing whatever else they wanted to do outside of their training sessions. This, of course, was the case, at least normally, for all the obvious reasons. Even if they didn't really want to train so often, they still trained with each other and any number of robots quite frequently, of course.

Serena really didn't like having to do so, in fact. For she'd have preferred not to have to train so much, if she didn't have to do so, but she still did so. She'd have preferred just to kill time enjoying herself as much as she could. But she didn't get that chance as much as she'd wanted to get it since her mother had gone back to Moon City by herself. Luna and the others with her usually made her train at least six to eight Terran hours per Terran day. Even though she'd have likely preferred to only have to do that for no more than about an hour or two every such day.

By now, Destiny and Bethany had normally worked much harder during their training sessions than Serena had. But they still didn't complain about doing so. Unlike Serena, who was often upset that she had to train so often whenever they trained on a day. Even so, their powers were still not as powerful as their older sister's powers normally were. They each were about half as strong as their older sister was, in terms of the strength of all their powers in comparison to the strength of all Serena's powers. Together, their powers were currently almost as strong as all of Serena's current powers, but not exactly as strong. They'd likely find themselves working together quite often in the future. And not just because they were twin sisters to each other.

Right now, Serena and her sisters were alone in the South Courtyard of the Rainbow Springs Palace. And they were sipping some tall glasses of pink lemonade, as they sat on three chairs near a ten-foot-long table. Their feet were all propped up on that table. And they were awaiting the arrivals of the remaining Princesses in that courtyard. In fact, the courtyard that they were all now in had been the very same courtyard that they'd first trained in during their first training session as Junior Sailor Scouts, under the watchful eyes of Sentinel Serenity.

At the moment, it was just after local dawn in the Rainbow Springs local area on the Moon. The Earth had recently set in the sky above. And the Sun had risen in it not long before, at the same time. Serena and her sisters were each consuming a meal of scrambled eggs, pancakes, sausages, and pink lemonade, at the very least, if not also anything else at all. Serena was also having some deep-dish pizza and several chocolate chip cookies that Lita had made the night before.

Serena was eating quite fast, but not as fast as she'd often eat her breakfast. For she didn't want to burn her tongue too much. That was mainly, if not entirely, just because Lita's deep-dish pizza that she was now having some of here was still quite hot. Even though it had been in a refrigerated area for at least a few hours. And not just because Lita had used the hottest jalapeno peppers that she could possibly stand while making it. Lita had actually put a lot of hot toppings on her deep-dish pizza, and not just jalapeno peppers. She'd also left it in the oven for at least a little bit longer than she normally would, which had kept it hot for quite a bit longer than it'd normally be. And because Lita had done that, Serena was now quite often refilling her glass of pink lemonade, for the obvious reasons.

Bethany watched Serena consume her food quite rapidly. And Bethany finally signed to her, "Serena, slow down. You're going to burn yourself. And you don't need to hog so much of the lemonade."

Serena saw her sister Bethany sign, and she soon replied in like manner, "This food's so good, I can't slow down. I want to have a lot of it, if I can." She also spoke those words aloud to Destiny, of course.

"Everyone else won't like it if you eat all the food before they get here to eat their breakfasts as well," said Bethany. Serena also told Destiny what Bethany had just said to her, for the obvious reasons.

"Bethany says I'm hogging the lemonade, Destiny. What do you think?" For Bethany's benefit, at least, she signed to Bethany what she'd just said to Destiny.

"From what I've heard so far, Serena, you're hogging it. You've taken the lemonade at least three times after the first time to refill your glass with it, Serena. And Bethany and I have only taken it once apiece to get some lemonade for ourselves. And that was when we both first sat down to eat." Of course, Serena had to sign to Bethany what Destiny had just said to her.

It was at this time that Luna, Artemis, and the rest of the Princesses showed up in the area of the South Courtyard that Serena and her sisters were all eating their breakfasts in. Raye was the first of them to greet Serena and her sisters, followed almost immediately by everyone else that had come there at the same time.

Raye said, "Hello, Serena. I see you're apparently trying to pig out on the food here, as usual."

"Am not, Mars girl!"

"Then why isn't there much left of one of Lita's deep-dish pizzas, or only about a dozen of her chocolate chip cookies left, on the table near the three of you Moon girls?"

"Because I'm quite hungry, Raye. As I hope you'd be able to tell, based on what's still left to be consumed here on this table."

"Are you trying to be a Meatball Head, Serena?"

"No, of course not. Why would you say that?"

"There's not much food left for the rest of us here, is there?"

"Fine, I'll finish what I have before I get more to eat. Go ahead and dig in, or quit your bellyaching about me pigging out on the food, Raye."

So everyone else sat down at the table and got some food for each of them to eat while Serena ate the rest of her own food at the current time. And while they did so, they often talked about their plans for at least the next few hours, if not for at least the next few days, weeks, months, or years, of course.

Then, once everyone had felt they'd eaten enough food, and talked with each other, for a long enough time here, they cleared off the table they'd just eaten at. And they took care of all their dirty dishes, for the obvious reasons. After doing that, all seven of the Princesses soon transformed into their respective Sailor Scout states. This was just so that they could begin another one of their training sessions as Junior Sailor Scouts, under the guidance of both Luna and Artemis, of course, due to the continued absence of Sentinel Serenity from all their presences.

After everyone had transformed into their respective Sailor Scout states as Junior Sailor Scouts, Moon then began retrieving several robots they'd be using in their next training session. Then she and Lita began placing them where they'd all need to be at the beginning of that session, for the obvious reasons. This time, they placed about one hundred or so robots all around the courtyard. And after doing so, Moon soon made each of them go into active mode, for the obvious reasons. Then she did exactly as her mother had done after making each of the first robots they'd trained against go into active mode. And she closed off the secret passageway in the required manners. Then she had Luna and Artemis begin controlling them as soon as each of the Scouts was where she needed to be in the courtyard, for the obvious reasons.

As soon as they did so, the Scouts began training again, of course. Corona and Eclipse often teamed up against a number of the robots with their various attacks, working quite well with each other as they did so. At least when they first started their current training session, if not all the time during it.

All of the now-present Scouts fought very hard against their various robotic opponents in their current training session. But especially Mercury, mainly because her attacks weren't having a lot of success against the opponents she was now facing in it. Mercury's Mini-Ice Bubbles were often being fended off by at least six to ten of the robots. And she was often barely able to keep herself from being hurt by her own attacks. This was because at least three of those robots she was facing off against were trying to reflect her own attacks back at her as best as they could, if not all of them. So she finally decided to try switching off with at least one other Scout before she was hit by her own attacks, for the obvious reasons.

Mars then switched off with her, and soon defeated most of the robots that had been fighting against Mercury. But not all of them, in fact. For at least one of them was also immune, at least partly, to her attacks as well. So she then switched her attacks to at least a few of the other robots. She did this just as Moon then began fighting against them. But Moon only did so once Mars switched her attacks toward other robots that were still fighting here against the assembled Junior Sailor Scouts.

Moon soon found herself being forced back into a corner of the courtyard they were all now training in. And she soon found herself not having much success against at least four different robots that were now fighting against her in the Scouts' current training session. She hollered for help here, in fact. But she didn't receive it immediately. For Jupiter had just been fighting in close-quarters combat with at least half a dozen other robots. So Moon fought against her current opponents as best as she could, as she also tried to keep from getting hurt very badly by those robots' various powers, weapons, and items, for the obvious reasons. Eventually, Jupiter actually somehow managed to fight her way to Moon. And while doing so, she soon reduced several of the robots she'd been fighting essentially to scrap metal. Often with her bare hands and some rather well-placed kicks of her legs. For there'd been a few robots that'd proven especially difficult for Jupiter to defeat otherwise in their current training session.

Jupiter hollered out, a few brief moments later, to Luna. And she asked her to slow down the attacks of their various opponents in the courtyard. Luna soon shouted out, "Several of the robots have just bumped themselves up to difficulty level 15, it seems, Jupiter. Artemis and I both are trying to drop down the difficulty level of the robots right now. But it'll likely be a while, I fear, before we can do so, Jupiter. You Scouts may have to destroy them to stop them from defeating you in battle. You may have to use your Sailor Teleport phrases, though, Jupiter."

"Understood. Everyone, we may have to teleport out of here on short notice. Be prepared to teleport out of here on a moment's notice."

All the other Scouts then did as Jupiter advised them to do. And they did it as Jupiter then wreaked great havoc on at least half a dozen, if not more than half a dozen, other robots that were now with them in the Rainbow Springs Palace's South Courtyard. She somehow managed to actually render them quite inactive by destroying them in hand-to-hand combat against them.

Venus then whipped several other robots against some nearby walls of the courtyard with her Venus Chains, just as soon as she was actually able to somehow get them around each of those particular robots well enough here. This she did as other robots also sought to grab her around her legs and neck, but which were actually prevented from grabbing her around them by some rather well-aimed Mini-Ice Bubbles from Mercury that'd frozen them in place to a sufficient enough degree. She then ducked just before Moon threw her tiara toward those robots to destroy them in the same manner as she'd likely destroy other beings they might very well face in the future, a future not yet fully known to any or all of the current Scouts and the cats. It was a very good thing she had then done so, as a matter of actual fact, here. For otherwise, Moon's tiara would've most likely cut her in half. Or it might have actually taken her head off her neck and/or shoulders, if it didn't cut her in half instead.

Corona destroyed still other robots with a large gavel that she had at her disposal at the current time. Which just happened to be the Gavel Of Justice. And she bashed their heads in with it as often as she could and as often as the current situation allowed her to use it. This gavel was very effective in bashing in their heads, whenever she was able to have enough space to swing it easily enough at those robots she attacked with it. But she was still not able to destroy all the other robots still opposing the Junior Sailor Scouts, for the obvious reasons.

Eclipse bombarded several other robots with Silent Shadow attacks. Which actually caused shadows to appear silently near the robots in question. These shadows silently attacked the robots, just as she began singing as loudly as she could to distract them from their shadows. As she did that, she also made her way as quickly as she could to the nearest console from which she could control the area of the lunar skies above the Rainbow Springs Palace. She did this as Moon and Corona covered her with their attacks, so that she'd not come under too much fire as she did so. She ducked through a nearby passageway leading to the courtyard, and she soon got to that console. She began rapidly using it to gain access to the sun shields over their current area of the Moon. Then, once she'd gained it, she began using it to make the skies darken above their heads to at least some degree. But not so much that the robots' shadows couldn't still attack those robots, of course. Then, once she'd done that to the best of her ability, she made her way back to where the other Scouts were still fighting against their remaining opponents in the courtyard. As she did so, she then spotted a nearby emergency beacon system, and she grabbed it up on the way there. When she was back in the courtyard again, she then fired several emergency beacons into the air, just as quickly as she possibly could do so here. This she then did so that her mother would hopefully be able to see them well enough, if all went sufficiently according to plan for her with those emergency beacons. She did this just before she had to drop that system on the ground again, in order to actually keep it from being destroyed by any of their remaining opponents in the courtyard.

Then she made her way just as quickly as she could back to where everyone else was now quite closely crowded together. Even Luna and Artemis, who by now had been forced to abandon their attempts to drop the robots' difficulty level down to a more manageable level of difficulty for the Scouts. When she got there well enough, Mars and Mercury were nearly on the brink of unconsciousness, and Venus wasn't much better.

By now, the robots' artificial intelligences had bumped up the average difficulty level of the Scouts' current training session to at least difficulty level 20, if not higher. Many other robots from elsewhere in the Rainbow Springs Palace had just recently teleported themselves into the courtyard from where they were normally kept. Which normally was quite far from the palace's South Courtyard. Which, of course, then made it quite a bit harder for the Scouts to defeat the robots that were now opposing them in that palace's South Courtyard.

Somehow, Junior Sailors Mars and Mercury were both able to stay conscious at least long enough for Queen Serenity to see the emergency beacons that Eclipse had fired not more than a few minutes before, and for Sentinel Serenity to teleport into the South Courtyard in time to distract several robots away from bothering both of them. And after Sentinel Serenity teleported into that courtyard, she then began cleaning house, in a manner of speaking, by engaging those robots with all of the necessary powers, weapons, and items that she now had to use against them. She soon had piled those robots up to a level of at least ten feet high off the ground, if not higher than that. And then she began making her way to the nearest console now available to her, hoping she'd not have to destroy all of the remaining hundred or so robots still fighting against her and her Junior Sailor Scouts. This she did as she also protected Mars and Mercury from any further harm. For they'd both just slipped into states of unconsciousness. Even though they were still in their Sailor Scout states as Junior Sailor Scouts.

She then quickly got to that console, and she managed to put enough of the remaining robots into inactive mode. And far enough into such a mode, in fact, so that they couldn't be reactivated by other robots still opposing the Junior Sailor Scouts and Sentinel Serenity. Or at least not very easily, for the obvious reasons. That done, she and the rest of the still-conscious Scouts then began destroying all the remaining robots that were still opposing them. Even though she'd also managed to drop the level of difficulty of the Scouts' current training session down to no higher than difficulty level four, they'd all still have to destroy all the remaining robots who hadn't yet been rendered sufficiently inactive. That was the case here due to the current inability of Mars and Mercury to fight in the Rainbow Springs Palace's South Courtyard.

So Sentinel Serenity, Eclipse, Corona, Jupiter, Venus, and Moon each did whatever they yet had to do in order to destroy all of those remaining robots. Even though, except for maybe Sentinel Serenity, it wasn't very easy for them to do so. Venus soon slipped into unconsciousness, and then Eclipse and Corona did that too, not long afterward. And, at that time, there were still about forty or so more robots for the three remaining Sailor Scouts to fight, once Eclipse and Corona both had slipped into unconsciousness as well. Jupiter then borrowed Corona's Gavel Of Justice, after Serenity made it temporarily available to her during the current fight.

Jupiter swung it several times just as quickly and as effectively as she could. But she was still unable to destroy the rest of the robots still opposing them in the South Courtyard. Several robots stunned her not long afterward. And they made her slip into unconsciousness as well. She fell mostly, if not entirely, right on top of Corona when they did so.

"Mom, are we going to actually be able to destroy the rest of these robots?" asked Junior Sailor Moon, a few very brief moments later.

"I think so, Moon. But I'm about to fall out of my Sailor Scout state as Sentinel Serenity, though, Moon. I need you to fight back-to-back with me, Moon. Call out, 'Mini-Moon Crystal Storm,' Moon. And that'll make you able to bombard them with Mini-Moon Crystals. That'll hopefully render about half of the remaining twenty robots inactive due to their destructions. Then I think I can take care of all the remaining robots all by myself. Even if I actually do fall out of my second-power phase before I can do that here."

So Moon immediately obeyed her mother, with no argument of any kind about it, for the obvious reasons. And when she did so here, she soon saw a bazooka-like weapon appear in her hands that was then loaded with at least a dozen Mini-Moon Crystals of varying sizes. If not more than just a dozen of them, here. That done, she then began bombarding the remaining robots as frequently as she could, actually reloading whenever necessary, of course.

As she did so, Sentinel Serenity broke the necks of four robots before she then dropped into her first-power phase as Royal Sailor Serenity. And she did that before she then had to resort to various other methods of fighting those robots than those that she normally had at her disposal in her second-power phase as a Sailor Scout. Such as various forms of martial arts she'd been trained in ever since she'd been a very young Moon Princess herself, for instance.

Certain judo techniques destroyed two other robots. While she used karate and other martial arts to destroy four other robots, the last just after Moon had knocked out the next-to-last robot still opposing them in the Rainbow Springs Palace's South Courtyard with the last of her available Mini-Moon Crystals that Sentinel Serenity had made available to her not long before. Finally, Royal Sailor Serenity destroyed the last of the robots that'd still been fighting against her and seven Scouts after she'd rendered enough other robots sufficiently inactive without having to destroy them along with any of the other robots that'd been opposing her and/or them for quite some time. Even before she'd come there to help them all out in their current training session.

After she realized no more robots would be fighting against her or any of her Junior Sailor Scouts for at least a while longer, she then began checking on her Junior Sailor Scouts who were now quite unconscious. Even though they were still in their respective Sailor Scout states of being. Fortunately, none of them were worse off than just being in states of unconsciousness. However, they'd all have to refrain from training for at least a while, of course. Then, once she'd checked them all out well enough here, she soon laid them all in a row on the ground. She did this quite obviously with Serena's help, as they both put all the other Scouts side by side, just before she took two nearby long rods in her hands. She did this so that she and Moon would eventually be able to somehow teleport everyone back to Moon City for closer medical observation. She had Luna sit down between Mars and Mercury. And she had Artemis sit between Corona and Eclipse. Then she had Moon take hold of the long rods' other ends, so that a rectangle of some sort would be formed around everyone who was now in the Rainbow Springs Palace. This, of course, was for all the obvious reasons.

Then she stretched out her arms, and so did Moon. That done, she then said her first-power teleportation phrase once, just seconds before Moon said her own teleportation phrase, for the obvious reasons. Just after Moon said, "Junior Sailor Moon, Sailor Teleport," as loudly as she could, everyone in the necessary rectangle vanished from the Rainbow Springs Palace's South Courtyard in Rainbow Springs on the Moon.

Moments later, they all actually materialized in Dr. Matthew's chambers in the Crystal Palace. As soon as they did, Dr. Matthew asked what had happened to everyone. Of course, Royal Sailor Serenity then told him, just as quickly as she could, what exactly had happened on the other side of the Moon. She was able to tell him, simply because he also knew she was a Sailor Scout. And because he also knew about the secret training center in the Rainbow Springs Palace on the other side of the Moon, having been there as a doctor for at least a little while before Queen Serenity's own birth on the Moon. Dr. Matthew was now approaching seventy Terran years of age, after many years of loyal service to the various rulers of the Moon Kingdom. Even for a number of years before Serenity and Daniel's own births on the Moon quite some time before the current time. He, as a matter of fact, had helped Serena's maternal grandmother deliver Princess Serenity many long years before. And he'd done the same thing when Serena's paternal grandmother had delivered Prince Daniel roughly around the same time as Serenity herself had been born on the Moon.

So he was quite well aware of the kinds of things that might happen every once in a while on the other side of the Moon on the Rainbow Springs Palace's grounds, because of those facts. And then he rather quickly summoned a number of Serenity's maidservants and a number of his nurses, for the obvious reasons. This he did just as Serenity dropped out of her own current Sailor Scout state of being as Royal Sailor Serenity, and back into her usual state of being as Queen Serenity. That done, he began working quite quickly on each of the unconscious Junior Sailor Scouts, of course.

Then, when Junior Sailor Moon realized that she could do nothing more for everyone else, at the current time, in Dr. Matthew's chambers, she asked Queen Serenity if she could leave them now, of course. Queen Serenity, of course, said that she could. And she was backed up in that statement by the kindly Dr. Matthew. For they both agreed that Moon should now leave his chambers, for all the obvious reasons.

As soon as Queen Serenity and Junior Sailor Moon were out of them, and far enough away from them, Queen Serenity then had Junior Sailor Moon transform back into her normal state of being as Princess Serena. Then she had Serena follow her to the main dining hall of the Crystal Palace. For she had this feeling that Serena was now quite hungry, due to the fact that Serena had been fighting against numerous robots for most of at least the last six to ten Terran hours, if not longer than that. Which, in fact, Serena and most of the other Princesses had been doing. Even before Sentinel Serenity had helped them destroy enough of the remaining robots to save their own lives, of course.

"Will the other girls be all right, Mom?"

"I think so. I think we got them out in time to save them all. Who sent the emergency beacons in the sky to alert me of a very serious emergency?"

"Eclipse did. I don't think we'd have survived if she or one of the others hadn't done so. For I don't think I could've been able to do so. Just because I was backed quite a bit into a corner, as were a number of the other Junior Sailor Scouts with me at the time, Mother."

As Serenity made some food for Serena and herself to eat, she often discussed the just-ended training session that'd taken place on the other side of the Moon with Serena. Of course, various parts of that very training session had been very scary for Serena, at the very least. Just as they'd most likely been for everyone else that had been there before Sentinel Serenity's sudden arrival during it. But Serena still discussed them as much as she could bring herself to discuss them with her mother. This, of course, was for all the obvious reasons.

Eventually, Serenity brought some food to the table in the Crystal Palace's main dining hall that Serena was sitting at, and she began feeding Serena a good deal of that food. After making up a plate or two of food for Serena, she then did the same for herself, of course. Then she and Serena joined hands and prayed for the ultimate safety of all the other Princesses now with them in the Crystal Palace. And most specifically for those Princesses who were now in Dr. Matthew's chambers there, for the obvious reasons. When that was finally done, Serenity then let Serena dig in and begin eating the food Serenity had just prepared for her consumption.

As the two of them ate, they spoke of many other things of varying importance to either or both of them, and this they were doing when Darien entered the main dining hall, apparently in search of something he could eat in the meantime. It was now approaching local midnight in the Moon City area of the Moon, by the time that he entered that dining hall. He didn't see them at first when he entered it. But as he began getting deeper into it, he began noticing that they were in it, and otherwise occupied in it. He saw them first, and then he sent a red rose toward them to let them know that he was glad to see them again. For he'd not seen them for quite some time.

This red rose whistled behind and past their ears, and between their heads, until it landed about six inches in front of both their plates. It struck their table and stuck in it about six inches in front of both their plates. When Serena saw that rose do that, she knew exactly who'd thrown the rose toward them. She then broke off her conversation with Queen Serenity, and rose from her seat at it. She said, "I'll be right back, I hope, Mom. Seems someone just sent a rose our direction. And I believe I know exactly who just did so. I think I'm going to have to talk to them for a while, if that's all right with you. If I don't return here by local midnight, or just after it, though, please bring what's left of my food to my chambers, at least before you retire for the rest of the night, Mom."

Serenity soon afterward agreed to do that here, if necessary. But before she did, she said, "Serena, if you feel you must talk to him, please don't mention where you've all been, and what you've all recently been doing, if you can possibly avoid it, of course, for the obvious reasons. Which, I'm sure, that you're already quite aware of, mainly for those reasons, of course. You might want to, Serena. But right now, I don't think that you should do so, at least not for a while. That is, if you can possibly avoid it, of course, my dear Princess Serena."

"Understood, Mom. What are you going to do then, if I'm not supposed to tell him what's been going on for us all since he last actually saw us all?"

"I'm going to try to take care of the rest of your royal Court, for all of the obvious reasons, Princess Serena. And there's nothing much he can really do for us, at least not at the current time. Except to try to stay out of the way of me, your father Prince Daniel, the medical personnel here in the Crystal Palace with us, and any number of my servants who are also here with us all, of course."

"So, in essence, you want me to occupy his time quite frequently for a while, as much as I possibly can, at least for the time being. What will I get out of it, then, Mother?"

"First, you'll get to be with your 'honey', as you've so often called him, again for at least a little while. Second, you'll most likely not have to train for a while as a Sailor Scout. Which you often don't like to do anyway, Serena. Third, you'll most likely not have to attend too many 'boring' meetings and conferences for at least a little while, as well. And maybe you'll even get more out of it that just those three things from me, Serena."

"I see, Mom. Will you then let me know as soon as you possibly can, Mother, whenever you have news that you think I might be interested that relates at least partly, if not entirely, to my royal Court? Or to any or all of its current members, if I do as you're obviously suggesting that I do now?" asked Serena.

"But, of course, Serena. I don't think that you really do want to lose any members of your royal Court if you don't absolutely have to. Even if they're apparently only temporary members of it, at least at the current time. So I'll certainly do that, at least to the best of my ability, if and whenever I possibly can, Serena."

Serena soon said, "Thank you, Mom. Now I think I need to have a chat with a certain Terran Prince who we're all quite well-acquainted with in our lives, of course." This she said, just as she began to leave her mother alone at the table upon which his rose had just landed. She carefully took the rose out of the top of the table. And she then left the table behind to find him elsewhere in the main dining hall of Moon City's very own Crystal Palace on the Moon.

Minutes later, after Darien had tried to hide from her elsewhere in the main dining hall, once he'd seen Serena rise from her seat at the table he'd thrown his rose onto, she tapped him on the shoulder, as she came up behind him as silently as she could. Then she grabbed him by an arm. And she essentially forced him out of that dining hall, and into a nearby hallway in the Crystal Palace. She didn't stop tugging on his arm until she and Darien were far enough away from that dining hall, and in her own Crystal Palace chambers.

* * *

I suppose that I'd better stop here now. For this will be where the next part of the story will take up from, in fact, readers. I hope that you have so far enjoyed the story, if you've gotten this far, and that you'll continue to read it, once I put more of it up here on fanfiction dot net. I don't know how long it'll take me to get each story in this series up fully on fanfiction dot net. But it might take a while for each story in this series, just the same, readers. Until later, then, this is "The Universal Storyteller" signing off here. Happy reading, and God bless, and all that, of course, readers! Over and out! 


	10. Chapter Ten

All standard disclaimers that I have already used so far with any of the various stories that I now have on fanfiction dot net will apply. For your information, all of the characters that you may not actually recognize well enough in this story are original characters of mine, unless otherwise stated, in fact. So please don't steal my original characters from this story or any others, for that matter.

Now without further ado, let's get on with the story once again, if that's all right with you here, readers. And I hope that if you've read the first nine sections of this story here, you've enjoyed what you've read of it so far. More will come as time allows, of course. And I really hope to add all of the remaining chapters for this story at least, by the end of April, at the latest. That's so that all of you people on who've followed the story well enough, and often enough, will be able to eventually read the whole story here, of course. Please read, review, and enjoy, if at all possible, quite naturally enough, for all the obvious reasons, readers!

_

* * *

The Beginning of It All_

A _The Chrysanthemum Chronicles_ Series Story

Inside Serena's Chambers In The Crystal Palace

Moon City, Moon Kingdom, Moon

July 25, 986 - July 26, 986

Moments after leaving the main dining hall together, they were in Serena's Crystal Palace chambers. And she'd bolted the door behind them both in it. After she'd done so, she then had him sit down on one of her chairs near her bed. Then she sat down on her bed.

Then she asked, in quite a perturbed manner, "Why did you throw a rose toward us, Darien? You could have hit either or both of us with it. Or were you really not thinking about that here, when you actually threw it?"

"Because I was really glad to see you two. You know it'd been a while since I last saw you. And you should know from me right now that it'd been a while since I'd last seen your mother. While all of you weren't around me, I had to return to Earth for a short time. And I had to do it in order to take care of some quite unavoidable government-related business there for our country on Earth. And I also thought that you might have wanted me to bring you something back from Earth. For you usually like me to do so whenever I can get back here to see all of you here on the Moon."

"So why couldn't you just have handed the rose to me or to Mom directly instead of just throwing it our direction?"

"Because I was practicing my rose-throwing. It seems my parents have recently made me start practicing throwing roses at various targets positioned at different ranges. I don't know why yet. But if at all possible, I eventually intend to find out. I mean, what's the point of possibly wasting roses by throwing them at people or things in a person's own mortal life? I don't understand why they're having me do this yet, if I ever will, Serena, in my own mortal life."

"Could it have anything to do with 'Operation Kaleidoscope' or 'Operation Cocoon', Darien? At least I think you call a certain joint project of our two societies by one of those names or the other. Do you and those involved with it on your side of the project call it by one of those two names?"

"As a matter of fact, we normally call it 'Operation Cocoon.' At least as it relates overall to that project you're speaking of. And 'Operation Kaleidoscope' usually refers to the towers that are being built as part of 'Operation Cocoon' by us, Serena. I can't go into greater detail about our side of that joint project of our two societies. Either as it relates directly or indirectly to my own society's side of that project, at least as of the current time. Someday, Serena, I might be somehow able to. But at the current time, I can't."

"I see. And do you like this, Prince Darien?"

"No. But my parents Emperor Peter and Empress Elaine, as well as your parents Queen Serenity and Prince Daniel, have periodically told me that I can't do so. At least at the times they've previously told me that I can't go into greater detail about our side of that joint project of ours, that is, Moon Princess Serena. Of course, I wish I could do so here. But it's just not possible for me, at least not at the current time, if it'll ever be in our own mortal lives in God's very own Universe."

"Understood. Mom's often told me much the same thing. At least as it relates in any possible way to our side of it, which we often call 'Operation Survival', as well. So I understand what you mean when you say you can't discuss your side of it at greater length than just on a very basic level of discussion of the same. I wish I could discuss 'Operation Survival' at greater length with you. But as I said, Mom doesn't want me to do so. But that still doesn't excuse the fact that you still threw a rose our direction, Prince Darien."

"I know that, Serena. But they've wanted me to practice rose-throwing whenever I get a chance to do so, even though I don't quite understand why yet, if I ever will understand why they're having me do so."

"All right. I'll let you slide this time, Prince Darien. But please try to be more careful where you throw roses in the future, if at all possible, Darien. If you want me to have a rose, then I'd prefer my honey to give it to me directly in person, whenever possible. Not from a distance, for the obvious reasons."

"Thank you, Serena."

"Can you keep a secret, Darien?"

"Maybe. Why?"

"For some reason, in my dreams during my last sleep session, I often saw you throwing roses. It seemed like we were in the future. And not just a possible near future, in these dreams. It seemed that in these dreams, we weren't just on the Moon. But that we were on Earth, if not elsewhere as well. And you were often dressed up in a white mask, a black tuxedo, a red and black cape, and a black hat. That was whenever you weren't in a military uniform of some sort. You often threw roses when you were in a tuxedo. And you often threw roses when you were in a military uniform of some sort. Whenever you were in a tuxedo, you quite often had an expandable cane. While you quite often had a sword whenever you were in a military uniform of some sort."

"I see. Tell me more, if you can, Serena, about these dreams."

"As you may know by now, from talking with Mother here at least a little bit, I'm a Junior Sailor Scout, as are at least six other Moon Kingdom Princesses. But in these dreams, I often saw myself as the Sailor Scout Sailor Moon, and other girls as other Sailor Scouts, of course. I didn't see Destiny or Bethany in them. But I often saw Amy, Raye, Lita, and Mina, at least, in them. And I often saw you as either Tuxedo Mask or Prince Darien, though I don't know just why yet. We were often fighting monsters from strange places, whether they were from this solar system or not. And you were often near me whenever I was fighting against those monsters, Prince Darien. At least occasionally, you even fought against them too."

"Are you sure about that, Serena?"

"Yes, I'm most certainly sure about that. I also often saw us not fighting monsters. And I often saw you call me 'Meatball Head', as you have already done with me in the past, Darien."

"Oh, really?"

"Yes. Sometimes, you were mad at me, and sometimes not. But you were often with me in the dreams, Darien. Whether or not you were calling me 'Meatball Head' in them, you were, Prince Darien."

"And in them, did you ever stop considering me to be your 'honey', as you've quite often called me in the past as well, Serena?"

"No, I don't think so, Darien. Why?"

"Just wondering, that's all."

"All right. You won't necessarily throw roses my direction in the future?"

"I can't guarantee that, Serena. At least not with total assurance that I won't do so. For I don't know entirely what the future holds for either or both of us, Serena. If I ever throw another rose in your direction, please don't ever try to take it personally, Serena. I may not be able to keep myself from doing so, Serena. But I can assure you, I think, that I'll try not to throw them your direction, if I can possibly avoid it. There may come times when I may have to throw at least one more rose your direction, no matter what. But I don't know about that, at least not yet, if I ever will, Serena."

"Understood. If I can possibly do so, then, Darien, I'll try not to take it personally, if you ever throw roses in my direction again, for any reason whatsoever. But I may not be able to do that, for the obvious reasons, of course."

"Agreed. Where are your fellow Princesses now, Serena?" Concern suddenly flashed very quickly across her face as he asked her where her fellow Princesses who she'd most often hang around with in her life, in fact.

"They're all sleeping, Darien. And they aren't to be disturbed by you, at least not until further notice from me, Mom, or Dad. That is, of course, if any or all of them don't give you the necessary notice, Darien. They're sleeping, and they need their beauty sleeps, Darien. Even Destiny and Bethany."

"There are some things that you're not telling me, Serena."

"I know that, Darien. But how do you know that as well?"

"I wasn't born yesterday, Serena. I just saw considerable concern flash across your face when I asked where your fellow Princesses were now. And I happen to know something's up that you're not telling me about. I suppose your mother asked you not to discuss certain things with me that are relating to you and the rest of your fellow Princesses to at least some degree. At least as they pertain to the time ever since I last saw all of you together on your tenth birthday about three or four weeks ago, Serena."

"Yes, Darien, she did," Serena finally admitted, after at least a little thought. "I'm not actually supposed to discuss them, honey."

"I see. We can't have that, can we?"

"Don't get me wrong, Darien, I'd certainly like to discuss them with you. But Mom wants me not to, at least for the time being, if I can possibly avoid it. At least that's what it seems she wants me not to do, at the current time."

"Let me guess, if I may, then, Serena. Sailor Scout-related matters, I suppose."

"Darien!" She looked at him, now obviously quite in shock. For she'd not actually said so, at least not directly, as far as she knew at the current time.

"I'm right, aren't I?"

Serena eventually said, then, "Prince Darien, I can't hide anything from you, can I?"

"Yes, you've hidden things from me before. And I've got no doubt that you'll be able to do so again. But you're apparently not able to do so at the current time. At least as it relates to certain matters that you're obviously quite aware of in your life as a Moon Princess in the Moon Kingdom. Listen, Serena. I know about the Sailor Scouts. I know about the Junior Sailor Scouts. I know about Sentinel Serenity. I often know when one of my friends is concerned about something or someone. Even about some people who are quite close to them. Your face is like an open scroll at the current time, Serena. I know you're quite shocked to hear me say these things, by the way. But I know these things, at least to some degree. I hear things periodically in my life as a Prince from Earth. I hear them here on the Moon, and I hear them back on Earth every so often. There are a lot of loose-tongued people here in your Moon Kingdom, and there are a lot of those kind of people back on Earth. I hear things, Serena. I know the score, at least to some degree, if not totally. Many of your Moon Kingdom people don't like me. They think I'm trying to work against your Moon Kingdom. But in all actuality, I'm not, Serena. I suspect sometime yet in the future, many of them might try to hurt me. And for reasons I'm not yet aware of, if I'll ever be. Maybe even for reasons that I'm already aware of. I know that there have also been a few riots spread out over at least the last few years that have quite strongly opposed our joint project. Both on the Moon and on Earth. Serena, I know you're scared about what might happen to all of us in the future. I'm also scared about such things, at least a little bit. But it's not going to do any of us any good if we don't try to keep our eyes where they belong. Just in case worst comes to worst for those of you from the Moon Kingdom, and your Moon Kingdom is destroyed. Just as your mother and I increasingly seem to think that it'll be, someday yet in the future."

"Darien, I'm worried about what's going to happen to us, if our dear Moon Kingdom is actually destroyed. I'm wondering if we'll all somehow survive, if it is. I'm worried that I won't be able to see you in the future. And that we won't ever get married. And that we won't ever have children of our own after we get married, if we ever do get married to each other. I don't want to lose the girls of my royal Court, if I don't have to, Darien. Even if I have to leave the Moon, I don't want to lose them, if I don't have to, Darien. Is that so wrong?"

"No, of course not, Serena. But how long has your Silver Millennium apparently been going on now?"

"Almost a thousand years, I think. I think we're about 996 or so years into it, from its start, if I'm not mistaken."

"So you think that within about three or four years from now, it'll come to an end?"

"Quite possibly, Darien. And when it does, then what?"

"Anything could happen, Serena. But if worst comes to worst, and if at all possible, I fully intend to be near you and the other Princesses wherever you all are, when that time comes. For I care for you all. And nobody's ever going to be able to change that, I think. At least, I hope nobody ever will be able to change that."

Then the two of them talked for at least another twenty or so minutes with each other, once Serena somehow then managed to change the subject of discussion to at least one more pleasant subject of conversation. They did this for at least a while, until Darien then said, "Serena, when I threw that rose, I was coming into the dining hall, and hoping to get something for me to eat before I retired for the rest of the night here in Moon City. But when you caught me, I was unable to do that."

"I see. And now you want to eat."

"Yes. May I find something to eat now, as I'd been planning to do earlier, Serena?"

"Very well. But it'll still cost you this rose, Darien. Who was it for, anyway?"

"You, as a matter of fact. It was for you, Serena."

"All right. You may go, Darien. But if you throw a rose toward me again, it may cost you any number of roses in the future. Or if I don't want roses then, it might cost you other things instead. Or it might cost you at least one rose and any or all of those other things. It'll likely depend on what I'm feeling, if and when you ever throw a rose or roses toward me again at anytime yet in the future."

"Understood. You may tell your mother Queen Serenity to expect a rose to be delivered to her chambers by sometime tomorrow, if I get permission from Prince Daniel to have one delivered to her then. You may keep the rose that you're still holding, by the way, Serena."

"Thank you, Darien. Though I would've likely gotten it to me another way, if I'd been you, and you me. Please try to keep that in mind whenever you can in the future, honey."

"Of course. Well, when you see the rest of the Princesses again after their 'beauty sleeps', please tell each of them that I said hello, and that I'd really like to see them again in the near future, if you possibly can, before I have to leave the Moon again. I don't know exactly when that'll be the case. But I somehow expect that'll eventually be the case before too much more time passes for us in each of our own mortal lives here in God's very own Universe."

Then the two of them quickly said their good-byes to each other, before she let him out of her own chambers. That done, she then soon went to find her mother. For her mother hadn't yet showed up at Serena's own chambers again, as Serena had asked her to do sometime before the both of them retired for the rest of the night.

* * *

I suppose that I'd better stop here now. For this will be where the next part of the story will take up from, in fact, readers. I hope that you have so far enjoyed the story, if you've gotten this far, and that you'll continue to read it, once I put more of it up here on fanfiction dot net. I don't know how long it'll take me to get each story in this series up fully on fanfiction dot net. But it might take a while for each story in this series, just the same, readers. Until later, then, this is "The Universal Storyteller" signing off here. Happy reading, and God bless, and all that, of course, readers! Over and out! 


	11. Chapter Eleven

All standard disclaimers that I have already used so far with any of the various stories that I now have on fanfiction dot net will apply. For your information, all of the characters that you may not actually recognize well enough in this story are original characters of mine, unless otherwise stated, in fact. So please don't steal my original characters from this story or any others, for that matter.

Now without further ado, let's get on with the story once again, if that's all right with you here, readers. And I hope that if you've read the first ten sections of this story here, you've enjoyed what you've read of it so far. More will come as time allows, of course. And I really hope to add all of the remaining chapters for this story at least, by the end of April, at the latest. That's so that all of you people on who've followed the story well enough, and often enough, will be able to eventually read the whole story here, of course. Please read, review, and enjoy, if at all possible, quite naturally enough, for all the obvious reasons, readers!

_

* * *

The Beginning of It All_

A _The Chrysanthemum Chronicles_ Series Story

Main Ballroom In The Crystal Palace

Moon City, Moon Kingdom, Moon

July 26, 986

Some time later, Serena then found her mother attending a ball in the Crystal Palace's main ballroom, where she'd gone after checking on all the other Princesses for a short period of time. Serenity had gone to the ball after checking on all of them for a while. After she'd done so, Dr. Matthew had told her that there wasn't really anything she could do for them at the current time. So she'd gone to the ball not long after doing so. When she'd done that, she'd also put what was left of Serena's most recent meal in a refrigerated area of the main dining hall, for the obvious reasons. Especially because she'd not known how long Serena would be chatting with Darien when she'd left the main dining hall with him earlier.

Serena soon found her sitting out a dance in the main ballroom. And she then sat down on a chair near her mother in it. She then said, "Hello again, Mom."

"Did you have a good long chat with Darien, Serena?" asked Serenity, once Serena had made herself comfortable enough in her chair.

"Yes, I did." Princess Serena then began discussing her most recent conversation with Darien in her own chambers not long before. Serenity didn't interrupt her daughter very often as she described her still-recent conversation with Darien in her own chambers. And then she spent at least two more dances after Serena had finished describing it to her, if not more than two, talking at greater length with her daughter about it. And they also talked about other things that were currently of sufficient interest to both of them in their respective mortal lives on the Moon. This, of course, was for all the obvious reasons.

Eventually the other Princesses were brought up in their conversation, for the obvious reasons. And they were brought up by Serena, who asked her mother, "How were the other Princesses, when you last checked on them?"

"All of them are still unconscious. But I expect that they'll be out of it again before too much more time passes. That is, of course, if things go sufficiently according to plan, both for them and for us all."

"Are they all still in each of their respective Sailor Scout states of being, Mom?"

"Yes, they're all still in them."

"Were you somehow able to learn what actually made them all slip into unconsciousness earlier, Mother?"

"Not entirely, Serena. But you can surely bet, if you were a betting girl, that your recent training session had something to do with them all slipping into unconsciousness, Serena. That, of course, is for all the obvious reasons."

"How soon until we know whether they'll be all right or not, Mom?"

"At least not until they come out of unconsciousness, I believe, Serena. I think, and I hope, that they'll all make it out of it easily enough, Serena. But only time will tell if that'll be the case for any or all of them, of course."

"I see. Why are you here then, Mom?"

"Because there's not much more that I can do at the current time to help them. Other than to pray for them all, and to stay out of the ways of Dr. Matthew and anyone else who's currently helping him with them. And that's also true for your father, of course, Serena. We'll have to wait to see what else develops for them and us in the meantime. Even if we'd rather prefer not to, we'll have to wait to see how the situation develops for them and us, of course, Serena."

Then the two of them spent at least a few more minutes discussing things of a more pleasant nature, whenever possible, before Serena said that she was beginning to get really tired. And she wanted to have as much of the rest of her food as she could before she retired for the rest of the night. So Serenity let her leave the main ballroom for the main dining hall. And as she did so, she wished Serena some pleasant dreams for the rest of the night, if she could possibly have them during what was left of it. Serena then left the main ballroom for the main dining hall, as she was now quite hungry. The two of them briefly waved at each other, as Serena did so. And then Serena left the Crystal Palace's main ballroom.

Serena soon spent a little while in the main dining hall, finishing what was left of her earlier meal. And then she returned for the rest of the night to her own chambers. She soon retired to her bed. And she was eventually lost in somewhat pleasant dreams as she then slept in it, not rising until about two hours past local dawn, at the earliest, but not past about four hours after local dawn, at any rate, in Moon City's local area on the Moon.

When she woke up again, she then went to her mother's Crystal Palace chambers, hoping that her parents would have more news about the rest of the Princesses, of course. She came to her mother's door, and then knocked on it a few times. And she was soon rewarded with her parents' answering voices.

She asked, "Mom, may I come in there to see you both right now?"

"Give us a few minutes, Serena. Your father and I are currently getting ready for the day ahead."

So Serena waited outside her mother's chambers for at least ten minutes. After which Prince Daniel then met her at the door. When he saw her again for the first time in many days, "I see you're here again, Serena. I hope you all had a lot of fun while you were all on the other side of the Moon, Serena."

"Not really, Dad. How are Corona and Eclipse now?"

"They eventually came out of unconsciousness sometime after you went to bed, Serena. But they're now sleeping, and Dr. Matthew doesn't really want us to disturb them for at least a while longer. At least until they're both awake and ready, willing, and able to talk to us all again," said Prince Daniel.

"And the other Princesses of my royal Court?" Queen Serenity then joined them at the door of her chambers.

Queen Serenity answered this question from Serena, when she said, "Mars is still out. But Mercury, Jupiter, and Venus aren't. Mercury came out of unconsciousness before Jupiter did, and Venus eventually followed Jupiter out of it. Mars is still unconscious. But we're all hoping she'll come out of it by the end of the day, if enough things go sufficiently according to plan for us all today."

"Are Mercury, Jupiter, and Venus in any condition right now to talk to us all, Mom?"

"If you mean, 'Are they conscious enough?' even though they're resting now in their respective chambers, I'd probably have to say they are. But I'd still not recommend us disturbing them for at least a little while longer, for the obvious reasons, Serena."

"If we were to visit them, would they be able to carry on a decent enough conversation with us all, Dad?"

"I think so, Serena. But as your mother says, we probably shouldn't disturb them for at least a little while. The same thing's true for them, most likely, as it's true for your twin sisters, Serena. So let's not bother them for a while, if we don't have to, Serena."

"But I'd like to see my sisters and my friends again very soon."

"If we let you do that, will you not disturb them for a while, if you can possibly avoid it?" asked Serenity.

"I'll certainly try not to be a 'Meatball Head' about it, Mom, if I can possibly avoid it, as they've all often called me at various times in each of our mortal lives here in our own little corner of God's very own Universe, most likely."

"Serena, you're not a 'Meatball Head.' Or at least we don't think you are, whenever you misbehave. At least I don't think we think of you as being a 'Meatball Head' whenever you misbehave. Granted, you may not always behave. But I really don't believe that we think of you as a 'Meatball Head' whenever you misbehave around us, at least."

Then Serenity and Daniel briefly withdrew into a nearby part of Queen Serenity's chambers where Serena wouldn't easily be able to either see or hear them briefly discuss the necessary matter with each other. They did so for about five to ten minutes, before returning to where Serena was sitting just inside her mother's Crystal Palace chambers. Serenity then said, a few seconds later, "All right, Serena. We'll let you look in on all of them, at least. But if you act up at all while you're doing so, there'll be the inevitable consequences of your actions that you'll have to face, of course."

"Understood." Then the three of them soon exited Serenity's Crystal Palace chambers. And they began heading to Dr. Matthew's chambers, so that they could first check in on Mars for a while. It took them a few minutes for them to do so. But eventually they did get there.

Dr. Matthew soon reported to them all, "Mars is just a tad unconscious. But I expect her to regain consciousness by the end of the day, if things go well enough for the rest of us here in the meantime. If there's anything new to report later on about her, I'll most certainly ring you again, Serenity. That is, of course, if I possibly can do so easily enough."

Once her parents were obviously deep enough in conversation with Dr. Matthew, at the very least, if not other people also in the room with them besides Serena and Mars, of course, Serena then came near where Mars was lying unconscious in Dr. Matthew's Crystal Palace chambers. Then she bent down a bit until her mouth was near the right ear of Mars. She whispered only loud enough for the unconscious Mars to possibly hear her friend's voice, but not loud enough for any of the adults now with her and Mars in his chambers to hear her voice. In such a low voice, she whispered to the unconscious Mars, "Raye, if you can hear me talking to you now, listen to me really good. I need you awake very soon, if at all possible. Don't you dare die on me, Raye. I need you to remain part of my royal Court for as long as possible. We all need you to survive. I know I may often act like a 'Meatball Head' around you all. But I don't know what I'd ever do without any or all of you girls in my life now. And I believe all the other Princesses that we all know well enough in our Moon Kingdom also feel the same way about you as I now do, in each of our mortal lives. You often fill my days and nights with music. And I don't want to lose the chance to hear your wonderful music in the future, if I don't absolutely have to. If you die on us, I'll have nobody who obviously understands what it's really like to chase Darien as much as I already do. I know you've often had a thing for Darien, Raye. And you're often making it hard for me to hang around him so much, because of it. But right now, I know that neither he nor I could stand to lose you. So you better not die on me, Princess Raye of Mars. For I don't think that your younger sister would be able to protect your planet of Mars from harm as well as I think you could possibly protect it from harm. I need you, Raye. We all need you. If worst comes to worst, and our Moon Kingdom is destroyed, I want you near me when it falls, if at all possible. And if you die on me, that won't be possible, for the obvious reasons, of course. If you die on me, I'll kick your tail all the way to the edge of this Galaxy and back, if I possibly can. But I don't want to have to do that. So, please, Raye, don't leave us, at least not yet. We've not known each other long enough to let it end for us yet, and to say good-bye to each other, Raye. So, please, come back to us very soon, if you possibly can, Raye. I need you! We all need you! I can't beat the enemy Mom and Darien always say is coming to destroy us without you, Raye. That is, of course, if I'll ever be able to beat it in the future, Raye. Please wake up and come back to us very soon, if you possibly can, Raye."

Then Serena quietly backed away from the right ear of Mars. And she promptly shut up, without even letting anyone else who was now with them both in Dr. Matthew's chambers know exactly what she'd just whispered to the unconscious Mars. She did this here, in fact, for she didn't really want to have to explain what she'd just said to Mars to anyone else. Or at least not at the current time, if she didn't absolutely have to do just that here. Then she quite soon rejoined her parents near Dr. Matthew.

That done, Serena and her parents then left Dr. Matthew's chambers again. This was so that they could look in on the other Princesses, as they were all now planning to do, after Serena had asked her parents to let her do so for at least a little while, of course. They then went to Amy's chambers. For that was where Mercury actually was currently resting in Amy's bed.

Serena and her parents silently entered Amy's chambers. And they did so as quietly as they could. For they didn't want to wake Mercury up at all if they could possibly avoid it, of course. As they neared Amy's bed, Mercury began to stir in Amy's bed. For her nose had begun picking up the perfume that Serenity would most often wear whenever she wore perfume. Her nose crinkled up just a tad. And then it stopped doing so, once it recognized that particular perfume's owner. Then Mercury almost immediately began stretching herself out on Amy's bed.

By the time Serena and her parents were close enough to Amy's bed to look in on her, Mercury had begun to wake up. By the time they were next to it, she'd then woken up to a sufficient enough degree to recognize them when she saw them well enough.

As soon as she did so, she then looked directly at Serena, and asked, "Hello, Serena. Did you beat the rest of the robots the other day, Serena?"

"Yes, we did. You were out for quite some time, while we finished them off, Mercury."

"You and who else?"

"Jupiter, Venus, Eclipse, Corona, and Sentinel Serenity, as well as me, of course. You and Mars soon fell unconscious before Sentinel Serenity had been in the South Courtyard for more than a few minutes, most likely. That is, of course, if you two didn't slip into unconsciousness before she even teleported into that courtyard."

"How come she was in the courtyard, Serena?"

"Eclipse shot off some emergency beacons. And Mom saw them in the sky, so she came to help us all out."

"And what about all the other Junior Sailor Scouts besides me and Mars?" asked Mercury.

"Jupiter, Venus, Corona, and Eclipse eventually slipped into unconsciousness after Sentinel Serenity's arrival in the South Courtyard. And that then left me and Sentinel Serenity alone fighting the remaining robots we couldn't render inactive without destroying them. We beat them. Though Mom did drop into her first-power Sailor Scout state of being as Royal Sailor Serenity, while we were still fighting against them."

"And Luna and Artemis?"

"They're fine, Mercury. They've been resting at least a bit, though, quite often, ever since we came back here to Moon City. Fortunately, both of them weren't hurt at all during our recent training session that really went crazy for all of us in the South Courtyard before Sentinel Serenity showed up there to help us all out in it, Mercury."

"Have I been in my Sailor Scout state of being ever since we all came back here to Moon City?"

"Yes, all you other Junior Sailor Scouts were unconscious when we brought you back here to Moon City. But the cats weren't. So Mom and I had to teleport us all by ourselves back here to the Crystal Palace. You were out for quite a while, according to Dr. Matthew, not long ago."

"Do you think that I could transform out of my Sailor Scout state of being now, Serena?"

"I suppose."

Serena and Serenity then asked Daniel to step out of Amy's chambers for a few minutes, at the very least. If not to wait for them to exit it as well instead. And he quite readily agreed to then do so, of course. Then, once he'd done so, Mercury soon swung her legs out of Amy's bed. And she tested them when her feet hit the floor near the bed. When she did so, she was soon rewarded with the ability to stand up easily enough unassisted.

Then she went to her bathroom for a moment to get herself some water to drink. She returned with a tall glass of water seconds later. And she then sat down in one of the chairs elsewhere in her chambers. And then she soon drained the glass of water, of course.

That done, she soon felt she was strong enough to transform out of her own Sailor Scout state of being as the Junior Sailor Scout Mercury. And while Serena and Serenity watched her do so, she then transformed herself out of her Sailor Scout state of being, and back into her normal state as Princess Amy of Mercury. Then she went back to her bed, and she said, "I'd now like to take a nap for a while, if that's all right with the both of you."

"Sure thing, Amy. We can let you do that," said Serenity.

"Thank you. How is Mars now, by the way?"

"Still unconscious, Amy. Though Dr. Matthew thinks she'll come out of unconsciousness by the end of the day, if enough things go sufficiently according to plan for the rest of us in the meantime."

"I hope so, of course, Queen Serenity. And I think that you and Serena hope the same thing too."

"That's right, Amy. The other Princesses, though, are still resting in their respective chambers, after they each came out of unconsciousness as well."

"And I suppose you're intending to visit their chambers as well, at least to look in on them, Serena."

"Yes, Amy. But how did you know that?"

"I know you quite well, after having known you for more than nine years, Serena. And I see what you're obviously planning to do in your eyes, and literally written on your face, Moonie."

"I see."

"What does Darien know about us at the moment, then, Serena?"

"I told him that you were all sleeping. And that you all needed your beauty sleeps, at least until further notice. And he didn't press the issue all that much with me after I told him that. For he had other things to attend to not long afterward. I talked to him a while ago, after he sent a rose toward Mom and I as we were eating a while ago in the main dining hall here in the Crystal Palace of Moon City."

"I see. Well, as I said, I'd now like to take a nap for a while. So I'd appreciate it very much if the both of you would leave me alone again here in my chambers, for at least that long."

"Understood," said Serena. Then she and Serenity said their good-byes to Amy, and Amy said the same to both of them, before Serenity left Amy's chambers with Serena, for the obvious reasons.

Then they went with Prince Daniel to Lita's chambers, for the same reasons that they'd just gone to Amy's chambers not long before. They spent a little while there visiting with Jupiter, before Prince Daniel exited them. Like he'd done before in Amy's chambers, he left them so that Jupiter could transform out of her own Sailor Scout state of being, and into her normal state of being as Princess Lita of Jupiter. While they were there, they discussed certain things of varying importance, either to Jupiter, or to Lita, as well. If they discussed such things with Lita while she wasn't in her Sailor Scout state of being as Junior Sailor Jupiter, they only did it while Prince Daniel wasn't currently in Lita's chambers. Then, once Lita said that she also wanted to take a nap in her own bed, Serena and Queen Serenity then left her chambers, of course.

Moments later, they rejoined Prince Daniel outside Lita's chambers. And they then went to Mina's chambers, hoping to do the same things that they'd done when they'd gone to Amy and Lita's chambers for a while. Venus was still resting. So they didn't do more in Mina's chambers than to just look in on her, for the obvious reasons.

That done, they then went to Destiny's chambers, at least to look in on Junior Sailor Scout Corona, of course. But she was still resting as well in Destiny's bed. So they all didn't stay long in Destiny's chambers either.

That done, they soon checked in on Eclipse in like manner, when they went to Bethany's Crystal Palace chambers. And she was also rather quietly resting in Bethany's bed, so they didn't disturb her in them either. They only looked in on her. And then they all left Bethany's chambers again, for all the obvious reasons.

Then Serenity, Daniel, and Serena eventually went to the Crystal Palace's main dining hall, and they each got themselves some breakfasts for a while. After they did so, they often talked with each other as they ate them in that dining hall. They did that so they all were well aware of the plans that each of them had for the rest of the day, at the very least, of course, before they left it again.

By the time they did so, though, they were all eventually joined by the rest of the Princesses. Except for Mars, who was still unconscious in Dr. Matthew's Crystal Palace chambers, in fact. Even the ones that had been resting in their respective chambers while they were still in their respective Sailor Scout states of being, and while Serenity, Daniel, and Serena had at least looked in on them. But by the time that all five of those Princesses joined them there in the main dining hall, they'd all transformed out of their respective Sailor Scout states. That was supposing that they'd not actually done so while Serena had still been visiting their respective chambers with both of her parents, of course.

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I suppose that I'd better stop here now. For this will be where the next part of the story will take up from, in fact, readers. I hope that you have so far enjoyed the story, if you've gotten this far, and that you'll continue to read it, once I put more of it up here on fanfiction dot net. I don't know how long it'll take me to get each story in this series up fully on fanfiction dot net. But it might take a while for each story in this series, just the same, readers. Until later, then, this is "The Universal Storyteller" signing off here. Happy reading, and God bless, and all that, of course, readers! Over and out! 


	12. Chapter Twelve

All standard disclaimers that I have already used so far with any of the various stories that I now have on fanfiction dot net will apply. For your information, all of the characters that you may not actually recognize well enough in this story are original characters of mine, unless otherwise stated, in fact. So please don't steal my original characters from this story or any others, for that matter.

Now without further ado, let's get on with the story once again, if that's all right with you here, readers. And I hope that if you've read the first eleven sections of this story here, you've enjoyed what you've read of it so far. More will come as time allows, of course. And I really hope to add all of the remaining chapters for this story at least, by the end of April, at the latest. That's so that all of you people on who've followed the story well enough, and often enough, will be able to eventually read the whole story here, of course. Please read, review, and enjoy, if at all possible, quite naturally enough, for all the obvious reasons, readers!

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The Beginning of It All_

A _The Chrysanthemum Chronicles_ Series Story

Main Dining Hall In The Crystal Palace

Moon City, Moon Kingdom, Moon

July 26, 986

Just before each of them were about to leave the main dining hall to do the other things that they'd planned to do for the rest of the day, Princesses Bethany, Destiny, Lita, Mina, and Amy joined them in it. Of course, Bethany was guiding Destiny through it as they went to where she had just seen her parents and Serena in it almost immediately after entering the main dining hall with Destiny. Near Bethany and Destiny, Lita, Mina, and Amy were helping the twins navigate in the dining hall. They were doing this by clearing a path through it to their parents and Serena, whenever the need arose for them to do so.

And then, just as Serenity was about to leave the table with Daniel and Serena, all five of those Princesses joined them there. So that naturally delayed the planned departures of Serena, Daniel, and Serenity from the main dining hall. Serena and her mother then spent the next ten to twenty minutes, at the very least, making up some food for all five of those girls to eat for their respective breakfasts. They did this while Daniel stuck around the other girls at least a little bit, and while he discussed various things of differing levels of interest to any or all of them, for the obvious reasons. But eventually, Serenity did release Daniel from the area, once she and Serena had brought enough food to the required table in the dining hall for all five of the other girls. She did that so he could then go do whatever he'd hoped to do, just before the girls had showed up in the main dining hall, not long before.

When he was gone from the main dining hall, Serena then asked Mina, "How are you feeling, Mina?"

"I'm quite tired, still. But because I'm quite hungry and thirsty at the current time, I'm here now. When did we all actually come back here?"

"Not long after Mom and I beat the rest of the robots that were causing trouble for us in our most recent training session on the other side of the Moon, Mina."

"And what happened to all the rest of us before you did so?"

Serena then told her, as soon as Serenity nodded that she could do so. Mina then said, "Junior Sailor Mars isn't here with us now, I see. Did she make it back here easily enough?"

"Yes, Mina. But she's still lying unconscious in Dr. Matthew's chambers, I believe. For she slipped into unconsciousness during our most recent training session. Don't you remember that, Mina?"

Mina said, eventually, "Yes, I do, come to think of it. I suppose I eventually became unconscious too, Serena, as Junior Sailor Venus. I don't remember much after Sentinel Serenity came to help us out in that training session of ours there, though, Serena."

"You became unconscious at least a while after Mars and Mercury did, and at least a while before Jupiter, Corona, and Eclipse did."

"Oh, and how did you get us all back here to Moon City?"

"Royal Sailor Serenity and I brought us all back by using our Sailor Teleport capabilities. It wasn't easy, in fact. For besides us, the cats were the only ones of us who were still sufficiently conscious at that time. We had to use two long rods to form a rectangle large enough to teleport us all from there to here safely enough. We had to hold our arms out as much as we could, and hold the rods between us in such a manner as they and our arms would form a rectangle large enough to allow us to teleport everyone back here to Moon City."

"I don't remember actually teleporting here to Moon City."

"Amy and Lita don't actually remember doing so either, Mina. But we somehow were still able to do so easily enough. And that's why we're all here now, instead of being stuck there on the other side of the Moon when we didn't want to be, and when we didn't need to be."

The Princesses often talked at great length with each other and with Queen Serenity. Even Destiny and Bethany, who were made parts of the entire conversation now being carried on by everyone else who was still in the main dining hall. This happened for them when they were either spoken to, or signed to, as the case might be for either of both of them, for the obvious reasons. Bethany was especially glad to learn about what Serena and Sentinel/Royal Sailor Serenity had done after she'd summoned Queen Serenity with the emergency beacons that she'd shot off. And what they'd done after she herself had eventually slipped into unconsciousness during their recent training session in the Rainbow Springs Palace's South Courtyard on the other side of the Moon. This, of course, was for all the obvious reasons.

Eventually, all the other Princesses finished their respective breakfasts. Then, after at least a bit more time had passed in the Crystal Palace's main dining hall here, they began leaving it. That time was time which was mainly spent in a very spirited conversation about various topics that were brought up in their discussion with each other, in fact. Mainly, everyone still in the Crystal Palace's main dining hall soon left it behind, one or two at a time. That was so that they could do whatever else happened to strike their fancy, by the way. At least for a while, if not for the rest of the day. That was if they really wanted to do so, quite obviously enough, in fact.

Serenity was the first one of them to leave the main dining hall. And she did that in order to attend to other things she'd either planned on doing that day, or to attend to other things she'd not yet planned to do that day, whatever the case might be for her at such a time. Then Mina and Lita soon left it, followed shortly by Amy. That then left Serena alone with her sisters for the first time in at least a little while.

Serena then led them both out of the main dining hall. And she brought them back to their respective chambers. That was so they could get some swimwear for themselves to wear. For one of the things that she'd told her mother earlier, before the other Princesses had joined her and her parents in the main dining hall some time previously, that she wanted to do, if she possibly could do so, was to swim for a while with Destiny and Bethany. Serenity and Daniel had been quite skeptical, naturally enough, that all three of them would be able to swim easily enough together with each other. But Serena had told them that she fully intended to make sure that at least one other person was with her and her sisters if and when they swam in a pool elsewhere on the Crystal Palace's grounds. So Serenity and Daniel finally agreed with each other, after at least a little private conversation with each other about such a matter, for the obvious reasons, to let Serena and her sisters go swimming for a while. Provided, of course, that Serena could find at least one person who was willing to watch them all as they swam in that pool.

"Bethany, we're going to have to find someone to watch us swim, if we want to swim for a while," signed Serena, as she spoke those very words out loud for Destiny's benefit as well, for the obvious reasons. This she did as she had Destiny eventually change into some swimwear while Bethany wasn't currently connected to Destiny by the usual cord between their wrists. Bethany had untied the cord at her wrist that connected her to Destiny, once she and Serena had made sure Destiny was safely enough back inside her own chambers.

"Destiny can't see, Serena, as you know by now," signed Bethany, after which Serena said out loud what Bethany had just signed to her.

"So what, Bethany? That's why we'll have to be her eyes. And she and I can be your ears, if we have to be," signed Serena, as she also spoke those words out loud for Destiny's benefit, of course.

"I don't know, Serena." This Bethany said, as Destiny made her way to one of her clothes dressers all by herself. Destiny did that by relying mainly on her memory of where things normally were in her Crystal Palace chambers, for the obvious reasons. What also helped Destiny move around easily enough in them was the different textures of the various floor coverings in them, of course. Near her bed, the usual texture of the carpet was significantly different from the usual textures of the carpet in other areas of her bedroom. Near her primary table, some distance away from her bed in it, the carpet was often much thicker than it was near her bed. While as she'd near her bathroom area, the usual texture of the carpet would become finer than elsewhere in the room, until she reached the doorway between her bathroom area and her bedroom area. On the other side of that doorway, the floor covering would generally change to tiles of varying heights, thicknesses, sizes, or shapes, of course. And a wall about knee-height, at the very minimum, that ran almost all the way around the bath would generally keep her from accidentally falling into it, for the obvious reasons. There was only one entrance point into the bath. And that was normally the only way she could get into it easily enough, without hurting herself at all.

"Trust me, Bethany. I know what I'm doing here."

Destiny then said, through Serena, "Bethany, please do as she says. At least she's not acting like a 'Meatball Head' right now, as Raye and the rest of us have all likely called her at least once before in each of our lives with her."

"Why, thank you, Destiny. That's nice of you to say of me, at least at the current time."

"No problem, Serena. I know I can't see like the both of you can, at least not as of the current moment. But I'm trusting that you know what you're doing, at least as it relates to us all right now."

"Thank you, Destiny."

"I still don't know, Destiny and Serena. It seems quite risky for us to do this right now, for the obvious reasons."

"That's why we're going to have to find someone else to watch us swim in the pool I'm thinking we should swim in here on the Crystal Palace's grounds."

"Darien?"

"If possible, yes, Bethany. But how did you know that?"

"You normally want to be with him as often as you can, Serena. We're not dumb, Serena. You often call him your 'honey,' Serena. And if that isn't enough, I often see it in your eyes whenever one of us other Princesses mentions him in any way. Especially when Raye does it."

"Oh, yeah? Try me, then!" signed Serena, in very short order here.

"Darien." Serena couldn't help but smiling at least a little bit, when Bethany signed Darien's name. Bethany did it again. And Serena then couldn't help but blush at her sister's next mention of Darien's name. Bethany then signed, "Earth." Serena did the same thing that she'd just done when Bethany had mentioned Darien's name the second time, during the current challenge that Serena had just made to Bethany.

Then Bethany began to laugh and dance a little bit as she saw Serena blush again, of course. Naturally, Destiny wasn't able to see Bethany do so now. But she was still able to feel the vibrations through the floor that resulted from Bethany's beginning to dance in her chambers near Serena, who was now near Destiny's bed in them. And Bethany's laugh was most frequently of the silent kind. Just as it was at this certain time. So Destiny wasn't actually able to tell that Bethany had just laughed when she'd seen Serena blush again after mentioning Earth, currently.

As soon as Destiny had chosen a suitable swimsuit from the necessary dresser in her bedroom area, she'd then made her way back to where she now knew Bethany and Serena were in it. Then Serena had handed her a towel from the top of the table nearest her bed. And then Destiny had gone into her bathroom area for a few minutes.

When she'd come out of it, Destiny had changed her clothes from a white blouse and a black skirt to a mostly light green and black one-piece swimsuit with no sleeves and a half-back design. Meaning that the back of the dress currently revealed about half her back between her shoulders and waist, of course. Then she had Serena help her with her hair, which was still at least a little bit unruly after she'd just changed into that swimsuit. Serena soon had most of Destiny's waist-length brown hair in two braids. And then she tucked the remainder of it under a waterproof headband that she took off the table nearest Destiny's own bed.

Then, after Destiny's appearance finally met sufficiently with her approval, she had Bethany come back to Destiny's side. And Serena soon tied the cord between her sisters' wrists. That done, she then led them all out of Destiny's chambers just as soon as she could do so easily enough. While she then did so, she also grabbed up at least one pair of Destiny's special sunglasses that Destiny would quite often wear during an average day anywhere on the Moon. If not more than one of them, for the obvious reasons.

Then she brought them all to Bethany's chambers, so that Bethany could also change into some swimwear, if she really wanted to do so here. And when they all got there, Serena then untied the cord linking Bethany to Destiny.

Bethany soon came out of her bathroom after donning a medium blue one-piece swimsuit with a low-back cut. This low-back cut to her suit was low enough to reveal most, if not all, of Bethany's own birthmark in the small of her back. But it wasn't cut low enough to be cut below Bethany's waist level in the back. She didn't take more than about ten minutes, at most, to change into that swimsuit. Mainly, if not entirely, because of the fact that she didn't have to worry about a lot of hair getting in her way. That was the case simply because she had short black hair that was about chin-length on her at the current time.

Then, after she did so, Serena soon tied the cord back on Destiny and Bethany's wrists, of course. That was once she'd made sure that Bethany's swimsuit was good enough for her to wear during their planned swimming time in a pool elsewhere on the Crystal Palace's grounds, for the obvious reasons. That was supposing that the three of them did actually get to swim in it later that very day, under enough people's watchful eyes, of course.

Then Serena then brought them both back to her own chambers. She did that so she then could also change into a swimsuit, for the obvious reasons. When she did so, she had them both sit on her bed after a while. Then she left them alone in her own bedroom area, in fact. She did that at least long enough for her to enter her own bathroom area and change into a mostly pink and white swimsuit that was also a one-piece, of course. It was cut much the same way as Destiny's, but not entirely. And it had some red roses appliqued on the front of it near Serena's hips and shoulders. It was quite good-looking on Serena, in fact.

Then, once Serena was sufficiently satisfied with her current appearance in her chosen swimsuit, she left her bathroom area to rejoin her twin sisters elsewhere in her own Crystal Palace chambers. That didn't take her very long to do, in fact, once she then did so. And then she soon came back to where they were both sitting in it.

She did this as Bethany and Destiny were still in the middle of a very spirited conversation with each other. Bethany and Destiny were now communicating with each other by touching each other's hands and faces as the need arose for either or both of them to do so. In this way, they'd often been able to communicate with each other whenever they were alone with each other, and nobody else was around to help them communicate with each other at such times. This had normally been the case for them both, in fact. Ever since they'd been old enough to do so with each other, if not other people as well, in their own mortal lives, that was often the case for them both. That was, of course, if they weren't both in their respective Sailor Scout states of being as the Junior Sailor Scouts named Junior Sailor Corona and Junior Sailor Eclipse.

Serena saw them communicating with each other in such a manner. And then she sat down next to them. Then she asked them both in the appropriate manners for each of them, "What are you girls talking about at the current moment?"

Destiny said, "Serena, I think you're in love with Darien."

"Are you serious, Destiny? He's at least ten or so years older than I am, if I'm not too mistaken here." Serena blushed again. And when she did so, she was glad to know that Destiny wasn't able to see her do so now, of course.

"So? You often say to us that you hope to marry him someday in the future. Have you changed your mind about hoping to do so?" asked Destiny.

"No. I'll still hopefully marry him. I just don't know when it'll ever happen, if it ever does, somehow."

"You don't want anyone else to get him, Serena."

"Right, Bethany. Not even Raye. Though I really don't mind so much a challenge in terms of chasing him from her, of course. She can often keep things quite interesting, can't she, Bethany?"

"Yes, I'd have to generally agree with you here, Serena, about such things. Are you in the mood to do a lot more talking about him at the moment?"

"No, Bethany. I want to swim as soon as possible, if I can. Let's get out of here so that we can try to have some fun before it's too dark to go swimming, if at all possible."

"Very well. But this matter's not over, for the obvious reasons. We'll discuss it again at greater length, I'm sure."

"Granted, Bethany. But right now, I'm not much in the mood to talk about my 'honey' much, and my current feelings about him."

Then, before she could be asked yet another question about him by her sisters, she led them both out of her chambers. As she left them with her sisters, she then made sure that nobody else would enter them in her absence, if she didn't want them to do so.

With that now done, she then went in search of Darien, of course. She soon found him in a different garden than the one in which she'd originally met Raye, Amy, Lita, and Mina more than nine years before. And in a different garden than the one where Destiny and Bethany had each recently received crystals of their own from their mother in the presences of both Prince Daniel and Prince Darien. He was now in the Crystal Palace garden that was most often called the Crossed Swords Garden by most people who normally were in residence in the Crystal Palace during the average Terran-Lunar calendar year.

Serena was the first of the three Moon-born Princesses to find him. She was followed almost immediately by her twin sisters in doing so, in fact. When she did, she soon ran to his side, almost as soon as he set aside the gardening tools that he'd been holding in his hands. He'd been working on at least a few rosebushes in the garden for Queen Serenity, after Queen Serenity had asked him to check out several of the rosebushes for her in the Crystal Palace's Crossed Swords Garden in Moon City.

He set all those tools he'd just been holding aside in a small cart near him. And then he turned the other way to look at the rosebushes that he'd just worked on, just to make sure that he didn't need to do anything else with each of them. With that done, he turned back toward the aforementioned cart, intending to take it back to a nearby storage shed. That was so he could then return the tools he'd used on the rosebushes he'd just worked on for Queen Serenity to there, of course. But by the time that he did so, Serena had come to his side. And she'd quietly grabbed him around the waist.

"Guess who, Darien?"

"Serena, no doubt. I'd recognize your hands anywhere, Serena," said Darien, just as soon as he'd looked at the hands and arms that were now encircling his waist.

"Darien, can't a girl have a little fun with you?"

"I suppose. But I'd still recognize your hands anywhere."

"I guess so."

"You want me for something, no doubt. What is it this time, Serena?"

"I want to go swimming in one of the pools here on the Crystal Palace's grounds with Destiny and Bethany. But Mom and Dad think that if we go swimming, we should have at least one person watching us all do so. And I'd like that to be you, if at all possible."

"I had other plans for the rest of the day, Serena. I was invited to a concert elsewhere in the Crystal Palace. And it's evidently supposed to begin about an hour or two before local dusk here in Moon City."

"Who invited you?"

"Princess Marina of Achilles City. It seems her brother is singing at the concert this afternoon, evening, and night at least once. If not more frequently than that."

"And how old is she, Darien?"

"About as old as I am, in Terran years, Serena."

"Will this be a date?"

"No, Serena. Why do you ask?"

"Because I don't ever want to lose you to another girl, if I don't absolutely have to."

"Because I'm your honey, I suppose, Serena."

"Well, yeah. I'm going to marry you in the future, if at all possible, and if it's truly God's will that I do so."

"She won't like it if I'm late for the concert."

"So what? I don't like her much. She often throws things at me whenever she sees me. She thinks I try to snag all of the cutest guys at all the balls that we both attend anywhere here on the Moon. That's not entirely true. Even though I do admit that I do try to snag at least a few of them at such balls."

"And you think she doesn't like you hanging around me so much?"

"I'm almost entirely certain of it. But I'm not likely ever going to give you up for any other guy I know, if I can possibly avoid it in the future, whenever that happens. Sure, we may have our disagreements, Darien. But I still really do like you a whole lot. Even whenever you call me 'Meatball Head', honey."

Darien thought about that for at least a few seconds, then he said, "All right. Here's what I'm going to do, Serena. That is, after I put all the things in my cart away, of course. I'll go watch you all swim for a while. But when I say I have to go attend to other matters, I don't want any arguments from you girls about having to stop swimming with each other. Or I may not actually agree to do this again for quite some time."

After Serena finally realized that was most likely the best offer that she and her sisters would get from Darien at the current time, she then said, "Very well. I agree. We'll do as you say, Darien. And we won't argue with you when you say you have other things to do later on." Then Darien smiled at her, and he gave her a rose that he'd cut from one of the rosebushes he'd worked on for Serenity. Then he put the rest of the roses that he'd recently cut from that rosebush in a vase elsewhere in his cart, for the obvious reasons.

That done, he soon left the Crossed Swords Garden, after he put away all the necessary tools in the appropriate storage shed there. Of course, he took the vase out of that cart as well. Then he stopped off briefly at Serenity's chambers. Where he soon met Queen Serenity again at her door. When he did so, he handed her the rest of the roses that were still in that vase.

That done, he soon brought Serena, Destiny, and Bethany to a reasonably-sized bench just outside his own Crystal Palace chambers. And he then had them all sit there, while he changed his clothes. He had them do that here so he could then watch them swim in the necessary pool elsewhere on the Crystal Palace's grounds, of course. He soon exited his chambers again, after changing his clothes from a pair of sunglasses, a pair of work overalls, a white long-sleeved shirt, a pair of heavy boots, and a wide-brimmed hat. He changed his clothes here so that he was then wearing a pair of solid black swimming trunks, a short-sleeved plain white T-shirt, and a pair of sandals.

Then he had them go with him to that pool elsewhere on the Crystal Palace's grounds. With that now done, Serena soon untied the cord that connected her twin sisters to each other. After doing that, she soon led Destiny and Bethany into the pool in the necessary ways, one at a time. Then she began swimming with them both, of course. She was especially careful to make sure that Destiny wouldn't go anywhere she shouldn't go in the pool, for the obvious reasons, by having a wall come up from the bottom of the pool to block off part of it from the rest of it. On one side of that wall, the water in the pool was too deep for Destiny to be able to get back to the surface from the bottom of the pool before her air would run out. On the other side of it, it wasn't too deep for Destiny to swim in it easily enough, of course. She had Destiny hold her breath at least as long as it took for Serena to let her know where the bottom of the pool was, and where that wall was. She did that here so Destiny wouldn't have to worry about any water getting into her that didn't need to be there. Then she brought Destiny back up to the surface of the water in the pool, of course. And she did that here so Destiny could breathe some air again before she'd begin turning blue, due to lack of fresh enough air for her to breathe easily enough here.

With that then done, Destiny soon took a breath of fresh air again, for all the obvious reasons. Then Serena showed Bethany where not to go in the pool, as well. Just in case she didn't already know where not to go in it. Then she soon brought Bethany back up to the surface again, of course.

Then she and her sisters then swam as long as they could in that pool, until Darien felt that they'd done so long enough. Of course, Serena would've still really liked to do some more swimming in it. But as she'd earlier agreed that she and her sisters wouldn't argue with him when he actually said it was time for them to stop swimming, the girls didn't argue with him about their swimming time. And so they all left that pool moments later. He then brought them all back to Serena's chambers, once Serena had put the cord back on her sisters' wrists. He then did this so that he could soon attend to certain other plans that he actually had for later on. And he did it here so that he'd not have to worry so much about them tagging along with him when he attended to those plans of his elsewhere on the Crystal Palace's grounds.

Then, once Darien had left them alone again there, Serena soon had her sisters sit down on a couch elsewhere in her chambers. She had them both do that here as she eventually changed her clothes from her swimsuit to a long dress. She took a quick bath after entering her bathroom. And then she changed into that long dress after it, for the obvious reasons.

Then she returned to her bedroom area again. And she soon had her sisters follow her out of her own chambers again. She had them do that here so they'd also be able to eventually change their clothes as well, of course. She soon brought them both to Destiny's chambers first. And then she untied the required cord again, so that Destiny could take a bath in complete privacy, if she really wanted to. Which, as a matter of fact, she now did really want to do, if at all possible, at the current time. Soon enough, then, Destiny was also wearing a long dress much like Serena's own long dress, but not entirely like it.

Then, after Destiny was suitably prepared for what was left of the day, she soon came back to where her sisters were waiting for her on a couch in the bedroom area of her own chambers. With that now done here, she then had Serena put the required cord back on, for the obvious reasons, of course.

Then the three of them soon went to Bethany's chambers, so that Bethany could eventually change out of her swimsuit into another long dress much like those of both her sisters. Naturally, off went the cord for a while, of course, once they got there easily enough. Several minutes later, Bethany soon rejoined her older sisters again, after having first put on a mostly peach-colored long dress. And then the cord soon went back on again. After which, Serena then went back to Dr. Matthew's chambers with both of them. For she'd begun to hear bells ringing from that area of the Crystal Palace.

* * *

I suppose that I'd better stop here now. For this will be where the next part of the story will take up from, in fact, readers. I hope that you have so far enjoyed the story, if you've gotten this far, and that you'll continue to read it, once I put more of it up here on fanfiction dot net. I don't know how long it'll take me to get each story in this series up fully on fanfiction dot net. But it might take a while for each story in this series, just the same, readers. Until later, then, this is "The Universal Storyteller" signing off here. Happy reading, and God bless, and all that, of course, readers! Over and out! 


	13. Chapter Thirteen

All standard disclaimers that I have already used so far with any of the various stories that I now have on fanfiction dot net will apply. For your information, all of the characters that you may not actually recognize well enough in this story are original characters of mine, unless otherwise stated, in fact. So please don't steal my original characters from this story or any others, for that matter.

Now without further ado, let's get on with the story once again, if that's all right with you here, readers. And I hope that if you've read the first twelve sections of this story here, you've enjoyed what you've read of it so far. And there is only one chapter more to read of this first story here, before I'll then start to put up the next story in its story series, in fact, readers. That's so that all of you people on who've followed the story and its related story series well enough, and often enough, will be able to eventually read the whole related series of stories here, of course. Please read, review, and enjoy, if at all possible, quite naturally enough, for all the obvious reasons, readers!

_

* * *

The Beginning of It All_

A _The Chrysanthemum Chronicles_ Series Story

Inside Dr. Matthew's Chambers In The Crystal Palace

Moon City, Moon Kingdom, Moon

July 26, 986

By the time that they got there, all the other Princesses besides Raye were already there. And so were Queen Serenity and Prince Daniel, but not Prince Darien, for the obvious reasons. As soon as Serena knocked on the door of Dr. Matthew's chambers, Dr. Matthew then asked, "Who's there?"

So Serena told him. And then he let all three of the Princesses from the Moon enter his chambers. Serena soon came to where she knew Mars had been lying unconscious in his chambers. And she was soon rewarded with a most pleasant sight. For she'd not yet expected to see Mars conscious again for at least a little while longer. By the time that Serena entered his chambers with her sisters, Mars had come out of unconsciousness a few minutes or so before. And now she was talking with a number of the other Princesses with her in Dr. Matthew's chambers.

As soon as Mars saw Serena and her sisters, she then said, "I'd like to talk to Serena alone for a while, everybody. So I'd appreciate it if you'd all leave us alone for at least a few minutes. Even you, Dr. Matthew, if you don't mind."

"Mars, are you sure?" asked Dr. Matthew.

"Yes, Dr. Matthew, I'm sure about that. She and I have some things we really need to discuss with each other in private, right now, if it's at all possible."

"I suppose we could let you do so for a while, Mars. But not for more than about ten minutes, I think. For you still really need to rest quite a bit more, before I can let you return again to your own chambers," said Dr. Matthew.

"Understood, Dr. Matthew." Mars then said to Destiny, and signed to Bethany, "I'll catch you later, you two. But first I feel I have to talk to your older sister Serena for a while."

Bethany signed to Mars, and Destiny said to Mars, "Agreed, Mars. But please don't wait too long to do so, for we still have much to talk to you about, if at all possible." Then Bethany and everyone else, except Serena, left Dr. Matthew's chambers again, of course. That soon left Serena and Mars alone with each other in them.

As soon as Mars was sure enough that they'd be alone together for at least the next few minutes, if not even longer than that, she asked Serena, "Serena, would you really kick my tail all the way to the edge of this Galaxy and back, if you possibly could? Supposing that I were to die on you at all, of course?" But she only did that here once she'd made quite sure that Serena had bolted the door of Dr. Matthew's chambers behind everyone else except her and Mars, in fact.

"I don't know. But I do know I don't want to lose you as part of my Court, if I don't absolutely have to do so."

"I see. So you were quite afraid that you'd lose me."

"Yes, Mars. I know I may not always get along with you. And that we may sometimes call each other names that we don't like to be called. But I don't really want to lose you, if I don't absolutely have to, in my life, Mars. For you just mean too much to me in my life."

"The other people told me that you and Royal Sailor Serenity beat the rest of the robots that were causing trouble for us in our recent training session on the other side of the Moon. I heard, as well, that Eclipse had summoned Sentinel Serenity to the Rainbow Springs Palace. And you and Sentinel Serenity were the last two Sailor Scouts to remain conscious and still be able to somehow beat those robots. I also heard that you and Royal Sailor Serenity somehow managed to teleport all of us back here to Moon City all by yourselves."

"Yes, somehow we were able to do that. Even though you and the rest of the Scouts were unconscious. Did they also tell you that we two were actually the only ones who were still conscious when we did so, other than both of the cats?"

Mars said, "Yes, Serena. They did. I'm quite proud of you and your mother, Serena, for most likely saving all our lives. And I surely don't intend to ever forget it, if I can keep myself from doing so."

"We didn't do it alone, Mars. Even though you and Mercury were likely unconscious by the time that Sentinel Serenity showed up in the Rainbow Springs Palace's South Courtyard on the other side of the Moon, we still had some help from everyone else there for at least a little while, before they too were rendered unconscious during our recent training session there."

"Did you really mean most, if not all, of the things that you said to me while I was unconscious here?"

"Yes, I did, Mars."

"Even the bit you said about the two of us and our dear Darien?"

"Yes, Mars. Even that. You know I like him a whole lot, Mars. And I know you actually do like him a whole lot too. But it isn't as fun chasing him if at least one other girl isn't already doing so at the same time. Even if that girl happens to be you, of course."

"But you certainly want to win him over everyone else, if you possibly can, of course. Even over me, I'm sure."

"Well, yeah. Wouldn't you, if you were me, and I you, in our current situation? He's actually the King of Cute, I think. Though I don't want you to say that I think that he's that, of course. I can see why you might like him so much, Mars. But I have no intention of ever losing him, if I can possibly avoid it, in the future, before we've had a whole lot of years together. Not even to you. Even though I guess I've started to get quite attached to you emotionally, at the very least, for the obvious reasons. Almost like you're my sister. Possibly my older sister, if that's actually the case here, Mars."

"I'm like a sister to you, Serena?"

"At least for the most part, it seems like that sometimes, Mars."

"Even though we're actually from two totally different places in the Moon Kingdom, Serena?"

"Yes, Mars. Even though that's the case, it still seems like that to me sometimes."

Serena and Mars talked for at least a few minutes more, at least until Mars said to Serena, "I think I'd like to transform out of my Junior Sailor Scout state of being for a while, Serena. Do you think that you could help me get out of this bed at least long enough for me to do so?"

"I don't know if that'd be wise, Mars."

"I want to be Princess Raye again very soon, Serena. My powers as Junior Sailor Mars are currently very weak, Serena. And they need time to regenerate. Which they can't do while I'm still in my current Sailor Scout state of being. I really do need to be Princess Raye again as soon as possible, I very strongly believe, Serena."

"All right. I'll get Mom to come back in here, so that we can help you do so, if at all possible."

"Thank you, Serena. You know, you're not so bad after all, Serena. Granted, you may be a you-know-what every so often. But at least you're a really loyal friend whenever you really have to be. And I'd be glad to be with you, Serena, if at all possible, I believe, if worst does actually come to worst, eventually, for any and/or all of us here in the Moon Kingdom, because of it."

"You got that right, Mars. For you don't know what you'd do without me. And I'm certain that's also the case for all of the other Moon Kingdom Princesses that we all know well enough in it. And if I have to, I believe I'd die for any or all of you, Mars. I hope that won't be necessary, of course. But it just might actually be the case for me in our dear Moon Kingdom."

Mars then had Serena bend down over her a bit, and she then hugged Serena for a few seconds, at least. Then she had Serena go get her mother, of course. Serena returned no more than about a minute later with her mother, who then had Serena get on one side of Mars, while she got on the other. Then they brought Mars to a part of Dr. Matthew's chambers where there were two counters about waist-high for Mars. And they had her put her hands on them, as she stood between them. Then they had Mars transform out of her own Sailor Scout state as Junior Sailor Mars, as they both kept very watchful eyes on her. Mars was soon enough out of her Sailor Scout state of being, and back in her normal state of being as Princess Raye of Mars.

Then Raye said, "Wow! I'm really glad that's over now, for a while, you two."

"So are we, Raye. That was some real training session that we had on the other side of the Moon, Raye. But now that you're out of your Sailor Scout state again, we can finally call it over once and for all," said Serena, seconds later.

"I guess, then, that we can call this just over nine or ten-year-long adventure of ours, Serena, 'The Beginning Of It All,' dating back to at least your first birthday, if not longer than that. That is, if I'm not mistaken, of course, Serena."

"If you say so, Raye. If you say so. It's really been a real ride, though, for our money, ever since I first met you, Amy, Lita, and Mina many long years ago, Raye. And I wouldn't have traded the time that I've spent with you all to date in our lives for all the other inhabited worlds anywhere else in God's very own Universe."

"Nor would I, and I'm sure that the other Princesses that met you then would also agree with you, at least as far as it relates to each of them in their respective lives here in God's very own Universe. Now, if you two don't mind, I think I have some more resting to do for at least a little while longer, for the obvious reasons, of course."

So Queen Serenity and Serena soon said their good-byes to Raye. And then Raye also said hers to them. Then Serena left Dr. Matthew's chambers with her mother, after reminding Raye that Dr. Matthew would likely want to check up on her again in a little while, for the obvious reasons. Raye accepted that, and then her visitors left her alone in his chambers, so that she could rest for as long as she wanted to rest in them.

* * *

I suppose that I'd better stop here now. For this will be where the last part of this particular story will take up from, in fact, readers. I hope that you have so far enjoyed the story, if you've gotten this far, and that you'll continue to read it, once I put its last chapter up here on fanfiction dot net. I really don't know just how long it'll take me to get each story in this series up fully on fanfiction dot net. But it might take a while for each story in this particular story series, just the same, readers. Until later, then, this is "The Universal Storyteller" signing off here. Happy reading, and God bless, and all that, of course, readers! Over and out! 


	14. Chapter Fourteen

All standard disclaimers that I have already used so far with any of the various stories that I now have on fanfiction dot net will apply. For your information, all of the characters that you may not actually recognize well enough in this story are original characters of mine, unless otherwise stated, in fact. So please don't steal my original characters from this story or any others, for that matter.

Now without further ado, let's get on with the story once again, if that's all right with you here, readers. And I hope that if you've read the first thirteen sections of this story here, you've enjoyed what you've read of it so far. And this is actually going to be the last chapter of this first story here, before I'll then start to put up the next story in its related story series, in fact, readers. That's so that all of you people on who've followed the story and its related story series well enough, and often enough, will be able to eventually read the whole related series of stories here, of course. Please read, review, and enjoy, if at all possible, quite naturally enough, for all the obvious reasons, readers!

_

* * *

The Beginning of It All_

A _The Chrysanthemum Chronicles_ Series Story

Main Ballroom In The Crystal Palace

Moon City, Moon Kingdom, Moon

August 3, 986 - August 4, 986

Just over a week later, it was Darien's 25th birthday, as reckoned by the Terran-Lunar calendar currently in use both on Earth and the Moon. And several Princesses were decorating the Crystal Palace's main ballroom for a surprise birthday party. Serena was, of course, among those Princesses decorating it for that party. And she was being helped in doing so by her parents, several of maidservants, and at least six, if not more than six, other Princesses from anywhere in the Moon Kingdom, at the very least. If not any other people as well from anywhere in it. This she and they were all doing, as both Luna and Artemis often watched everyone work on the main ballroom, in fact. Serenity had asked Darien to check on at least a few of her plants in four of the gardens anywhere in the Crystal Palace earlier that very day. This was so that he'd hopefully be out of everyone's way as they secretly prepared the main ballroom for his surprise birthday party.

Little did he yet know that his parents had sent him some things via a cargo shuttle that'd just arrived on the Moon the night before. And that they'd both sent all those things that way just so they'd be on the Moon by the end of his own birthday on it. But he'd eventually learn that, once the proper time arrived for him to learn it.

The Princess who was nearest Serena at the moment was Raye, who'd recovered quite quickly after coming out of her still-recent state of unconsciousness. She'd been cleared by Dr. Matthew to resume her usual routine, in terms of her normal activities whenever she was on the Moon, a few days before. And she'd been quite glad to do so. Even though she was still at least a little bit tired after having been quite unconscious while she'd been Junior Sailor Mars for at least a day or two, for the obvious reasons, of course.

Raye said, "I'm sure glad that I'm out of unconsciousness now, Moon Princess Serena."

"So am I, Raye. And I hope that you don't slip into it again for quite some time, of course."

"So do I, and I'm quite sure that all of you others feel the same way. I do wish, though, that I'd have been able to see you wipe out the rest of the whacked-out robots you had to wipe out earlier, Serena."

Everyone in the Crystal Palace's main ballroom who was now close enough to Raye to hear that soon agreed with her. Even Serena did so, of course. And they all continued to work there on the decorations in it until they were done with them in it, taking short breaks. Or they worked in shifts, as the situation required any and/or all of them to do here, as they prepared the main ballroom for Darien's surprise birthday party at about two or three hours after dusk in Moon City's local area on the Moon. And they eventually finished working on the decorations about five Terran hours before the scheduled start time for Darien's surprise birthday party. But not less than four hours before then, at the very latest, in any case.

Then Serenity soon released everyone from the Crystal Palace's main ballroom for a while. Even herself, so that everyone could get sufficiently ready for Darien's surprise birthday party. Even her daughters, who sometimes took a great deal of time to get ready for a dance or some other formal occasion. Especially Serena. For she usually didn't like dressing up quite as much as her sisters often did in each of their own lives.

Serena brought her sisters to their own chambers, one at a time, of course. First Destiny, then Bethany. And then she went to her own chambers as well. She spent more than an hour getting ready for the surprise birthday party, in fact. For it took her at least a little while to find a good enough dress for her to wear during it, after she'd taken her bath. But eventually, she did actually find such a dress for herself. And she then put it on not very long afterward. After her appearance finally met sufficiently enough with her approval, she soon left her own chambers to meet up again with her twin sisters as soon as possible, of course.

On the way to Destiny's chambers, she encountered Raye, Mina, and Lita. But not Amy, in fact. For Amy had already gone to the Crystal Palace's main ballroom. As they'd all later find out, once they'd gotten there themselves, and had been in it long enough after doing so. Raye was wearing a good-looking floor-length crimson gown with a lot of sequins on it. Lita was wearing a similar dark green gown, but one that didn't have any sequins on it. And Mina was wearing a dress like Lita's, but her dress was mainly peach-colored, instead of dark green, as was Lita's.

"Serena, you don't look too bad in that pink dress with a cardinal red and white sash," Raye finally said, once she'd gotten a good enough look at Serena's dress. "I like it. Do you think I could wear it sometime, Serena?"

"I don't think so. It's too big for you, Raye. Mom would have to alter it in order for you to wear it. And if she did, I couldn't wear it again, most likely, for the obvious reasons."

"I see. Well, can I borrow Darien tonight at least once?"

"If it's all right with him, I guess I could let you do that."

Then Serena and her current companions arrived at Destiny's chambers. Serena knocked on Destiny's door, and Destiny came to it seconds later, after picking up a cord for herself to have tied between one of her wrists and one of the girls outside that door, for the obvious reasons. Serena then offered her left wrist to Destiny, and Destiny felt it. That done, she soon asked Serena, "Are you really sure you want your left wrist connected to my right one, Serena?"

"Sure I am, Destiny. Why not?"

"Because I thought you'd actually want one of the other girls to guide me to the main ballroom for Darien's surprise birthday party instead, Serena."

"Maybe when we get Bethany, they can. But for at least the time being, I'm offering to be your eyes. Raye, please tie my left wrist with the cord to Destiny's right wrist, before I change my mind."

So Raye did so, and Serena then had everyone surround her and Destiny. She did that here so Destiny wouldn't have to worry about accidentally running into a nearby wall, at least while Serena was being her eyes. Then, once Serena was satisfied enough with how the other girls had surrounded her and Destiny, she began heading toward Bethany's chambers with Destiny and the other girls now with her.

It didn't take long at all for everyone to get to Bethany's chambers. After which Serena then had Destiny sit down on a bench just outside them. That done, Serena had Raye untie her end of the cord. That was so Serena could go get Bethany out of her chambers, quite naturally. When Serena knocked on Bethany's door, lights then began flashing inside Bethany's chambers, so that Bethany would know that somebody was at her door, of course. As fast as Serena would knock on her door, those lights would then flash. Serena tapped out a message on Bethany's door. And as she did so, the lights in Bethany's chambers flashed just as rapidly as Serena's knocks on her door had been applied to it.

Bethany soon appeared at the door, almost ready with her preparations. She'd just been drying her hair. And it wasn't quite dry yet, when Serena had begun knocking on her door. So she'd not been entirely ready for that party at that time. However, she was almost done with it. And she signed as much to Serena, once Serena entered her chambers moments later, and Bethany had shut the door behind her and Serena again.

As she finished doing her hair, she and Serena briefly communicated with each other through sign language. And they continued to do so even while Bethany picked up a jacket, a handbag, and a fan, just in case she'd have reason to use any or all of them during the upcoming party. Before they left her chambers again, Bethany then put the jacket and the fan in the handbag. Then she put the strap of her handbag over her right shoulder, in such a manner that her handbag wouldn't accidentally fall off it while it was in her possession. This, of course, was for all the obvious reasons.

Then she and Serena soon left her chambers again, of course. After they did, Bethany signed to Raye, "Raye, please tie the cord to my left wrist, so that I can guide Destiny the rest of the way to the main ballroom." So Raye did, after telling Destiny who'd be tied to her until then, of course.

Then all six of the girls left the area of Bethany's Crystal Palace chambers. And they went to the Crystal Palace's main ballroom. That done, Serenity then had Bethany and Destiny sit down on chairs in it for a while, not long after all six of the girls had entered it to a sufficient enough degree. She also had all the other girls do the same. Except for Serena, who she'd have get Darien, as a matter of fact. Before Serena again left the main ballroom, though, Serenity first handed her a large enough blindfold, and a long enough cord to tie to his wrist, after she'd blindfolded him.

Serena took those things from her mother, and then left the main ballroom again. For about an hour, then, she searched for him elsewhere on the Crystal Palace's grounds. Specifically in all four of the gardens that Serenity had asked him to check at least a few of her plants in. She eventually found him in a black tuxedo, a red and black cape, and a black top hat. He was also wearing a white mask. And in his hand, he held a long expandable cane, as he then sat on a white marble bench near a fountain in the middle of the Crystal Palace's Double Eagle Garden, which was the last of the gardens that she looked for him in on the Crystal Palace's grounds.

She came up behind him. And then, when she was close enough to him, she placed her hands over his eyes, and asked him, "Guess who, Muffin?"

Muffin was one of her newest nicknames for him. And she was normally the only one to use that nickname with him. But not always, for Raye would sometimes call him that whenever she was chasing him, in a manner of speaking. He soon said, "I know that voice, and I know these hands. I bet I know who they belong to."

"Then, please tell me who you think owns this lovely voice and these wonderful hands."

"Only one person that I know of, and that person is Serena Ruth Teresa Hope Rose Moon. You want something again, Serena. I wonder what it is this time."

Serena stepped out in front of him, and showed herself to him. She hid the hand containing the blindfold and cord behind her back, at least momentarily, while she did so. Then she said, "I need for you to close your eyes until I say otherwise. And then I need you to give me one of your wrists, Darien."

"Why?"

"You'll see soon enough. Please trust me, honey. I know what I'm doing. And Mom and the others know what I'm planning to do now with you."

"Oh, all right. I suppose I can close my eyes and give you my wrist, then, Serena. But I wish you'd tell me what's going on here, just the same, Serena."

He closed his eyes, and then he held out his left wrist. Then she quickly blindfolded him and tied the cord to that wrist of his. After doing that, she looped one end of the cord around her right wrist, and then pulled the loop a bit tight, but not too tight, so that she could guide him safely back to the Crystal Palace's main ballroom.

Then she began leading him back there as safely as she could, periodically pulling bell chains outside various other chambers elsewhere in the palace, so that everyone would know they were on their way there, and how quickly they were making their way there. Eventually, they were just outside the Crystal Palace's main ballroom. And they came to a pair of large double doors that normally would open into it. She then knocked on them six to ten times each. As soon as she heard two more bells ring near her and Darien, she pushed one of those doors open, and led him into the Crystal Palace's main ballroom. By the time she did so, the entire ballroom had become completely quiet.

Serena brought him to a large table along one wall of the main ballroom. Then she guided him to a seat at it. She had him sit down in it, and to close his eyes again. Then, with her free hand, she loosened the cord around her tied wrist, so that she could remove the cord from around her right wrist. That done, she then untied the end of the cord around his left wrist. Then she began rubbing both their wrists, just in case the cords had accidentally tightened a little more than she'd planned for them to tighten while she was bringing them both to the Crystal Palace's main ballroom.

"Serena, are you going to remove this blindfold in front of my eyes anytime soon?"

"Are your eyes closed, Darien?"

"Yes, they're closed, Serena."

"Then I will. When I say, then, open your eyes very slowly. For right now, it's quite bright here where I've just brought you somewhere in the Crystal Palace." Serena then began removing his blindfold, as promised, when she was sure that his eyes were completely closed, for the obvious reasons. Seconds later, she removed the blindfold.

Moments later, she let him open his eyes very slowly, for the obvious reasons, of course. As soon as he did so, he read, "Welcome to full adulthood, Prince Darien of Earth!" on a banner about twenty feet or so in front of him in the Crystal Palace's main ballroom.

Then when Serena gave a secret signal, everyone else in the main ballroom shouted, "Surprise, Prince Darien of Earth. Happy 25th birthday, Prince Darien of Earth!" Only supposing, of course, that they could do so here well enough at the current time.

It took a few minutes for it to register in Darien's mind that several of the Princesses had quite secretly been planning this surprise party for him for quite some time. For he'd not expected them all to remember that today actually was his birthday. And that it was now his 25th birthday, as a matter of fact. And that he was now unquestionably old enough to rule his own nation without a shred of dispute about his legitimacy to do so, if something sufficiently bad were to happen. And if that something sufficiently bad would somehow happen to his parents that'd require him to succeed them on his nation's throne. Supposing, of course, that he lived long enough to be able to do so.

He finally asked Serena, "How long were you Princesses planning this surprise party for me, Serena?"

"At least since your last birthday, Darien. That's how long, at the very least, if not longer than that, Darien."

"I never expected you all to do this for me. I thought you'd all forget what today was."

"How could we forget a day like this, Darien? Especially when a comet with your name on it shows up every year at this time."

"I see. And how often have you yourself seen it, Serena?"

"Well, I saw it for the first time a few weeks or so after my birth. And I've seen it at least once in every year of my life. Even while I was just searching for you in four of the gardens here on the Crystal Palace's grounds, Darien, I saw it. I saw it when I was in the Crossed Swords Garden looking for you a while ago. So figure it out."

"So you've seen it at least eleven times, if not more, in your life."

"Actually about ten times that. For it usually appears on July 29 or July 30. And it doesn't normally leave our night skies before August 11 or August 12, Darien."

Then Serenity came up to where he was sitting, and said, "We have some gifts for you now, Darien, if you'd care to open them in front of us."

"Very well, Queen Serenity. Let's get them opened up, please, before everyone starts wondering too much about what they are."

Then Serenity had people start bringing him gifts from behind a large curtain, one or two people at a time. She'd had them draw numbers for themselves while they were working on the main ballroom earlier. Even Serena, and those numbers would determine the order in which each of Darien's gifts would be brought to him. But not his parents, due to the fact that they were back on Earth. For his parents hadn't been able to come to the Moon for the surprise birthday party, mainly for medical reasons. They'd not been on the Moon since shortly after Serena's own birth. And they'd never be on it again, most likely for those reasons, at the very least. If not for any other reason or reasons as well. So Darien was one of their main contacts between them both and the numerous people of the entire Moon Kingdom. If not their main one between themselves and the various people of the Moon Kingdom.

For at least the next ten to fifteen minutes, if not longer than that, then, people brought gifts to him in the order they were supposed to give them to him. Finally, there were only a few more gifts for him that hadn't yet been received by him.

Those gifts were from Serena, Queen Serenity, Prince Daniel, Emperor Peter, and Empress Elaine, in that particular order. Serena then gave him a painting she'd recently done, just before she'd been initiated as a Sailor Scout of the Junior Sailor Scout variety several weeks before. It was a painting that had both of them in it, as well as all the other current members of Serena's own royal Court. Even the ones that were not currently present in the Sol system of the Milky Way Galaxy. Meaning, of course, all the main Princesses of all the planets in it except Earth, and all of the secondary Princesses from the planets of Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. Of course, Destiny and Bethany were in that painting too, for all the obvious reasons. Though none of the Princesses that were in that painting were in their respective Sailor Scout states of being. Simply because when Serena had finished it several weeks before, she hadn't yet known that Destiny and Bethany would eventually become at least temporary members of her royal Court, of course.

Darien looked it over quite a bit. And he then asked Serena, "How long did it take for you to do this painting?"

"Several weeks, Darien. Several weeks, meaning at least four or five, if not more."

"Even before your tenth birthday some time ago?"

"Yes, honey. Even before then."

Then Queen Serenity went to a chest elsewhere in the main ballroom. And she soon took out a sword that she'd had in it for a long time, since around the time of Serena's own birth in her own Crystal Palace chambers here. While she held it in one hand, she then shut the chest with the other. This sword would often be the sword that Darien would use in the future at various times in it, most likely. It was in a scabbard just a bit longer than its blade, of course.

Darien knew, as soon as he saw the sword in question here, that Serenity was now carrying the legendary sword named "Loyalty," in a scabbard named "Truth," as she brought it toward him. She then came to him. And she said, "This sword's been on the Moon for many years, Darien. Ever since a very long time ago, it's been here on the Moon. It appeared here many of your years ago. And it's been here ever since. I, and a number of my ancestors, have kept it safe ever since we first discovered it then, until this very day. Now, it's the time that you're to receive this sword back from our own keeping. For you're the one that it's meant for, Darien. You'll be using it quite often in the future, I believe, if my recent visions of it are accurate enough, Darien. And you'll often likely be fighting alongside Serena with it, if they're sufficiently accurate about that, as it relates to the both of you, at the very least."

"Thank you for returning the legendary sword 'Loyalty' and its scabbard 'Truth' to me, Queen Serenity. It's been many years since it's been in the hands of an Earthling, if I'm not too mistaken here, Queen Serenity."

"Yes, it has, Prince Darien. But you're the one that it's been waiting all this time for, ever since we first found it here on the Moon."

Then Serenity stepped back. And she nodded to her husband Prince Daniel that it was his turn to give Prince Darien a birthday gift. So Daniel then went behind the large curtain. And he soon came back out from behind it about a minute later with a military uniform of some sort that he and Serenity had both designed specifically for Darien's use within the last Terran year. This uniform was of a style similar to that of the uniforms of various members of the Moon Kingdom's own armed forces, but not entirely similar to such uniforms. It was just the right size for Darien to wear it easily enough. Then Daniel brought that uniform to Darien, for the obvious reasons.

Darien examined this gift from both Daniel and Serenity. And then he said, "I see you two designed a uniform for me to wear often here on the Moon, in the future, whenever I have to or want to."

"Yes," said Queen Serenity.

"I'll think about it."

Then Queen Serenity had Princess Serena bring a pair of scrolls to her from behind the curtain, one scroll at a time. Both of these scrolls were from Prince Darien's parents. Princess Serena brought the first of those scrolls to her. Then Queen Serenity told Prince Darien that the first scroll was from his father, as she handed it to him.

He took it from her, and then he silently read it to himself. He did this for at least a few minutes. And then he said, after he'd rolled it back up again, "It seems that my father would actually like you to make me, if it's all right with you as well, an honorary citizen of your very own Moon Kingdom, at the very least. That is, if you don't do anything else for me as well, Queen Serenity. And they've also made me our nation's chief ambassador to your Moon Kingdom, it seems."

"I see," said Queen Serenity. "And do you wish to be that to us?"

"I suppose that'd be acceptable to me as well."

"Then let it be as your father has so said in his scroll to you, at least as it relates to your being chosen as your nation's ambassador to our Moon Kingdom, if nothing else as well, here."

"Agreed."

Then Serena brought the other required scroll from behind that curtain, once Serenity told her daughter to do so. And then she handed it to her mother. Serenity looked briefly at the outside of it, and she then said, "This scroll's from your mother, Prince Darien."

She then handed it to him, so that he could read it as well. After a bit more time had passed in the Crystal Palace's main ballroom for everyone in it, Darien finally said, "It seems that my mother Empress Elaine's chosen to have me give each of the Princesses in Serena's royal Court a rose. And she's provided several newly-cut roses for that purpose, which she sent here to the Moon in time for them to reach here by today. I'm supposed to retrieve them from this palace's main courtyard of this palace before it actually becomes local midnight here in Moon City, if I possibly can."

So Serenity asked him, "Are you supposed to retrieve them all by yourself from there?"

"Yes. I'll be back shortly with them, if you'll allow me to go find them there. I have to find them near the statue of your mother in this palace's main courtyard, Queen Serenity. I've seen that statue, Queen Serenity. Empress Elaine sent them in a different message canister to me a while ago. And she told me where she'd send them to on the Crystal Palace's grounds here in Moon City. I shall return momentarily, if you please."

"Very well. I shall let you retrieve them, then. But please hurry back, because we only have about thirty minutes before that time gets here, I believe, Prince Darien."

So Darien hurried out of the main ballroom, for the obvious reasons. Ten minutes later, he was in the Crystal Palace's main courtyard. A few minutes after that, he was near that statue. He searched near that statue for a few minutes more. And then he found the necessary message canister from his mother. He hastily pulled it out of the ground near the statue. And he then hurried back as quickly as he could to the Crystal Palace's main ballroom, of course. He arrived back near Serenity in it about thirty seconds before local midnight. Then he borrowed a pocketknife from Prince Daniel, before he then opened that message canister. A few seconds later, at the very most, he stuck his hands in it. And he began withdrawing roses for all the necessary members of Serena's Court who were currently present in the Crystal Palace's main ballroom. Besides Serena, Lita, Mina, Raye, and Amy, of course, he also gave roses to Destiny and Bethany, for all the obvious reasons. He'd actually have to wait until a later date, though, to be able to do the same for the primary and secondary Princesses from the Moon Kingdom planets of Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto, of course.

After he did so, Queen Serenity then said, "Darien, I'm now willing to make you an honorary citizen of our Moon Kingdom, with all the rights and privileges thereof, if you're willing to become one."

"I am. But before you do, I must ask you at least one thing."

"Yes, Prince Darien?"

"Will this require that I make myself subject to the armed forces draft that all other citizens of the Moon Kingdom are normally subject to when they're usually of sufficient age to serve in them?"

"No, it won't. You won't be subject to such a draft, if you choose not to make yourself subject to it."

"Will you force me to serve as a member of your armed forces, Queen Serenity?"

"No, I won't. Partly because I know that Serena and the rest of her royal Court would never stand for it. If you're to become a member of our armed forces, you won't have to do it if you don't want to, due to the nature of your own birth as an Earthling."

"I can join your armed forces voluntarily, if I so choose. Am I understanding you correctly?"

"Yes, you are, Prince Darien. Do you wish to become a member of them, then, right after I make you an honorary citizen of the Moon Kingdom?"

"I don't think so. But that may not always remain the case, for the obvious reasons, Queen Serenity."

"Very well. Anything else you wish to ask me, then, Prince Darien?"

"If I wish to marry any other citizen of your Moon Kingdom at any time in the future, will I legally be able to do so, without any legal obstacles at all?"

"Yes. You'll be able to come to and go from any world anywhere in the Moon Kingdom that you wish to travel to or from, just as freely as you wish to do so. And you're to have that right for at least as long as they remain under Moon Kingdom control, by my order here, Prince Darien of Earth. Whether it's between Earth and the Moon, or between any of the many worlds of our Moon Kingdom, you're to have free passage between them, if you so desire. And you're to have free passage between them for at least as long as they remain under our control here in the Moon Kingdom, if you choose to have it here at any time."

"Then I will accept the status of honorary citizen of your Moon Kingdom from you with no objections to the contrary. I'll still be a citizen of my own nation back on Earth, I suppose."

"Yes. Your primary world of citizenship shall not officially change. But you'll now also be a citizen of our Moon Kingdom for as long as you wish to be. And for as long as our Moon Kingdom still survives somehow in our very own solar system, Prince Darien of Earth. You'll also be able to rule the Moon Kingdom as if you were actually a native of it, instead of you being a non-native of it, if it survives me, and if you marry someone who is also entitled to do the same. If our Moon Kingdom falls, you'll be able to rule a successor government of any kind, if you marry someone who is also entitled to do the same. Supposing, of course, that you two both somehow survive long enough to do so sometime yet in the future, whenever that might ever be the case, Prince Darien."

"Such as Princess Serena, maybe?"

"Perhaps. But only time will eventually tell if you'll ever be able to rule the Moon Kingdom or a successor government to it, of course, Prince Darien."

"Understood. I'm now ready to accept this honor from you that my father requested of you, and that you're willing to bestow on me, any particular time you wish to bestow it on me, Queen Serenity of the Moon Kingdom."

Then Serenity borrowed Darien's sword for a moment, as she had him kneel down in front of her. She looked at it for a moment. And she then said, as she touched both of his shoulders, "With this sword, I hereby bestow the honor of honorary citizen of the Moon Kingdom on Prince Darien of Earth. He willingly has chosen to accept this honor from me. And therefore, I now proclaim him an honorary citizen of the Moon Kingdom, by the power granted to me to do so by the One True God of the entire Universe. And I welcome him to our Moon Kingdom, as I also wish him all the best for at least as long as he remains a citizen-by-choice of our Moon Kingdom."

Then after she said those words to everyone still with her in the Crystal Palace's main ballroom in Moon City on the Moon, she returned his sword to him again, for the obvious reasons. That done, she then declared that a meal should now begin there, just before a ball would do the same.

For at least the next thirty minutes, then, everyone ate much, if not all, of the currently available food in the main ballroom. And they all did that here just before the aforementioned ball would begin shortly afterward. As everyone ate at least a little bit of food, Darien often found himself in conversation with a number of the Princesses that were currently in it, of course. Mainly, though, those Princesses were currently members of Serena's own royal Court, for all the obvious reasons.

He did this for a while, until Queen Serenity let everyone else in the main ballroom who didn't want to attend the soon-following ball leave it. That soon only left Darien and about a dozen or so other people in the main ballroom. Of course, those people that remained in it with him included Serena, Amy, Raye, Lita, Mina, Destiny, Bethany, Queen Serenity, and Prince Daniel, at the very least, if not any other people as well.

Then, once the main ballroom had cleared out enough, Serena then asked, "Darien, would you dance at least once with me, please?"

"I suppose I can do that. But I hope that you realize that all the other Princesses still here with us will likely want to do the same with me, Princess Serena."

"I know that. That's why I want to dance with you now at least once, so that I can be sure that I get to dance at least once with my honey at this ball in your honor, Darien. And so that they don't get to hog you all the time when it comes to dancing with you here at this ball. Even Raye, of course."

"All right. I'll dance with you at least once now. But I won't guarantee that I'll dance with you all the time at this ball, for the obvious reasons, Serena."

"Agreed." So as soon as the ball began, Darien went out on the floor with Serena for the first dance. Other Princesses with them now also paired up with other people still at the ball, whether they were other Princes or not. Bethany, for instance, danced with Destiny here. For nobody else had asked them to dance with them by the time that the aforementioned ball began in the Crystal Palace's main ballroom.

Raye paired up with a young man about her age. And he was actually from Mars. He'd recently come there with the rest of his family for a while. And she'd not yet met him before in her life. Little did she know that this young man might eventually become her future boyfriend and/or husband. Supposing things worked out well enough to make such a thing the case for her and them, of course, in the future. If and whenever it ever became the case for them both.

Lita also paired up with a young man about her age. And she soon learned he was also from Jupiter. She also soon learned his name was Ken. She was soon lost in a reasonably pleasant conversation with him as she danced at least once with him in the Crystal Palace's main ballroom, if not more than that.

Amy paired up with a boy about her own age, as she eventually learned, who was also from Mercury, just like she was, and who was named Gregory, or Greg for short. She'd not yet met him before, in fact. But she'd likely find many a reason to see him again at least once more in the future, if and when that ever happened to be the case. She learned that he was from Hermes City elsewhere on the Moon, just like her own Mercury Star Crystal had been from the area of Hermes City on Mercury. And they then spent several dances getting at least a little acquainted with each other, for all the obvious reasons, of course.

Mina also found herself with a boy about her own age, and his name was Steven. Little did she yet know that they might later fall in love with each other at least a few years into the future. Or that they might not do just that in their lives, of course. However, while they both danced together here, they also got at least a little acquainted with each other, of course. As a matter of fact, this same boy was also from Venus City on Venus. As she'd eventually learn at a later date. If she didn't learn it at the ball she was currently attending in the Crystal Palace's main ballroom, in fact.

Eventually, Serena did actually stop dancing with Prince Darien after about three or four dances, at the very least. But not more than six or seven, at the very most. When she said that she wanted to take a short break from dancing with him for a while, she then let the other Princesses dance with him if they really wanted to do so. Even Raye, of course.

But only Raye currently took her up on the offer, the first chance she got to do so. And then Darien danced with Raye at least one dance, if not more than one. After Raye danced a while with him, she soon took a short break from dancing as well.

Lita was next to dance with Darien. And she danced a few dances with him, before she too took a short break from dancing. After her came Amy, and then Mina, in turn. Then he danced one dance with Queen Serenity, after Prince Daniel let him do so. Finally, of course, Darien then danced with both of Serena's twin sisters at the same time, before he too decided to stop dancing for a while.

He took a short break, before he chose to dance one last time with Serena. And he told everyone, after this next dance, he'd likely be retiring for the rest of the night shortly thereafter. This, of course, was for all the obvious reasons.

Raye wasn't all that happy to hear that here, quite naturally. But she realized that he still needed his sleep, of course. So she didn't try to change his mind about doing so. And she then accepted what he'd just said about that kind of thing. Even though she'd have preferred to dance at least one more time with him before he likely would do that.

Then he soon danced one last time with Serena, before he left the main ballroom, for the obvious reasons. As he did so, Serena asked, "Are you glad that we threw a surprise birthday party for you, Prince Darien?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I really am glad you did."

"And are you glad to now be an honorary citizen of our Moon Kingdom?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I'm also glad about that. That means, that if things go the way that you'd obviously like them to go for us in each of our lives, you'll be able to marry me, and we'd rule either the Moon Kingdom or a successor government to it someday in the future. God willing, of course, Serena."

"Yes. That's now true, it seems. And no matter what happens to either or both of us, I believe that I'll always care for you very deeply, Darien, in my life, if at all possible."

"Serena, will that likely always be the case? Even if other girls are quite interested in me as well, or other guys are interested in you?"

"Yes, I think so. Sure, we may also look at other guys, or girls, as the case might be. But I still don't think that any other guy could ever compare to you in my life, whether I spend it here on the Moon or elsewhere. And even if worst comes to worst for most, if not all, of us here in the Moon Kingdom, I think that'll still be the case, at least to me."

"So you never intend to give me up, if you can possibly avoid it."

"You got it, honey. You're mine, at least as far as I'm concerned. Even though we've not yet kissed each other, Darien, you're still mine, at least as far as I'm concerned. And if I'm right, and things work out well enough for the both of us, I'll always be yours as well, for as long as I possibly can be."

They discussed a few more things as much as they could while their dance continued to go on, but soon stopped doing so, just before it was about to end. Then, after it ended, Serena said, "Thank you for a wonderful bit of dancing with me here in the Crystal Palace's main ballroom, Darien. I hope we can do it again some other time, if at all possible. Sleep well, then, honey, and may you have many pleasant dreams for the rest of the night, once you retire to your own Crystal Palace chambers here."

Then Serena and Darien both eventually rejoined all the other Princesses elsewhere in the main ballroom briefly. They both did that just before Darien said his good-byes to everyone who was still in the main ballroom, and they did the same thing to them. Then, after that happened, Darien soon left the main ballroom again. But he did this only after he'd first collected all his gifts from where they'd all been placed during his recently-ended surprise birthday party, of course. And from where they'd all been place during the ball that'd begun not long after that for him. He collected them all in a cart narrow enough to fit through one of the doors that he'd entered the main ballroom through, at least once or twice, since Serena had brought him to it quite a while before. Then he left the main ballroom behind with them all, of course. And he was soon alone once again in his own Crystal Palace chambers in Moon City on the Moon.

Within another ten or so minutes, then, he was quite asleep in his own bed there. And he was lost in quite pleasant dreams not long after that happened for him. And he slept generally like a log for at least the next six to ten hours, if not longer than that, before he finally awoke again, fully refreshed and fully rested.

For at least the next few days, if not weeks, he then often prepared for his next trip back to Earth, because he'd periodically need to be on Earth for a certain period of time. And whenever he was doing so, he often wasn't able to spend a lot of time with any or all of the Princesses. Mainly, if not entirely, because of those reasons, of course. He eventually had to return to Earth again. But he was glad that he'd still not have to do it until at least late August, if not until at least late September.

And whenever he wasn't really able to spend a lot of time with them, those particular seven Sailor Scouts who were currently on the Moon often trained themselves on either side of the Moon. Even the side of the Moon that Rainbow Springs was on, after all the destroyed robots had actually been replaced with several others that'd most often been made on the Moon City side of the Moon, they'd at least sometimes train on. At least they'd do so whenever Sentinel Serenity decided that all seven of the aforementioned Junior Sailor Scouts should do so.

And just before Prince Darien was scheduled to leave the Moon again, all the Princesses of Serena's Court who were currently on the Moon at that time, as well as Queen Serenity and Prince Daniel, saw him off at the Moon City Spaceport. Even Moon Princess Serena. And they did so for at least an hour, if not longer. At least until he had to leave the Moon again on a passenger shuttle that often traveled between the Moon and Earth.

And then they all soon watched that shuttle depart from the Moon City Spaceport, at least as long as they were able to do so. After they could no longer do so, they then went back to the Crystal Palace for a while. At least until such time as all of the Junior Sailor Scouts would have to at least once again return to the Rainbow Springs Palace on the other side of the Moon. They'd probably each do that at least once more in their lives. Just so that they could hopefully resume their secret training sessions on the other side of the Moon far enough away from enough people who might unnecessarily mention them. And mention them to people that didn't need to know at all about any or all of the Moon Kingdom's secret training centers in various Moon Kingdom palaces anywhere in it. But most especially about any or all such secret training centers anywhere on the Moon. All of them also tried to live as normally as the average Moon Kingdom citizen was usually able to live in their mortal life, whenever they possibly could do so. Most especially Serena, for all the obvious reasons, of course. And they'd do this at least as long as it took for yet another adventure of some sort to come their ways in each of their own mortal lives in God's very own Universe.

End of Story One

* * *

I suppose that I'd better stop here now, people. For this actually will be where the first part of the next story will take up from, in fact, readers. I hope that you all have just enjoyed this particular story, if you've actually gotten this far, and that you'll continue to read its related series of stories. That's once I put the first chapter of its story series up here on fanfiction dot net, of course. I really don't know just how long it'll take me to get each story in this series up fully on fanfiction dot net, though. But it might take a at least a little while for each story in this particular story series to be put up here, just the same, readers. Until later, then, this is "The Universal Storyteller" signing off here. Happy reading, and God bless, and all that, of course, readers! Over and out! 


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